This 1956 Porsche 356A Rally Car Conquered All Seven Continents

From the April 2022 problem of Car or truck and Driver.

Renée Brinkerhoff commenced rally racing at age 57 with an formidable aim: to race a 1956 Porsche 356A on every continent. Neither auto nor spot daunted chief mechanic Simon Redhead. This is how Valkyrie Racing conquered the globe.

Valkyrie Racing

la carrera panamericana

Alberto Alcocer aalcocer@gmail.com / @beco

1: 2017 North The us

Brinkerhoff’s 1st race in the 356 was La Carrera Panamericana in 2013. Two yrs afterwards, a crash sidelined her ambitions. Right after paying out 2016 rebuilding and upgrading the car or truck, she kicked off Task 356 Environment Rally Tour the future yr by returning to Mexico and successful her class.

targa tasmania

Angryman Images

porsche 356 targa tasmania

Valkyrie Racing

2: 2018 Australia

Not able to pre-operate at Targa Tasmania, Brinkerhoff had to preserve speeds down. While that annoyed her, the slower rate likely manufactured Redhead’s job easier. “We had no difficulties there, mechanically,” he claims. Yet again Brinkerhoff claimed a podium place, 2nd in her course.

caminos del inca rally

Valkyrie Racing

caminos del inca rally

RODRIGO DE QUESADA

3: 2018 South The united states

Peru’s Caminos del Inca rally proved to be a single of the most tough. The 356 cleared customs, but the spare elements failed to. Then the engine struggled in the skinny mountain air. Overheating issues claimed the flat-four but didn’t faze Redhead: “We transformed the engine and continued on.”

porsche 356 peking to paris rally

Valkyrie Racing

porsche 356 peking to paris rally

Valkyrie Racing

4, 5: 2019 Asia, Europe

Starting off in Beijing, the Peking to Paris rally stretched 8500 miles in excess of 36 times. Just after the mechanical gods smote a different engine, a alternative air-cooled flat-four was flown in. It arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, in four suitcases, necessitating assembly for Brinkerhoff to finish the race.

porsche 356 east african safari classic rally

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porsche 356 east african safari classic rally

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6: 2019 Africa

The rough terrain of the East African Safari Classic called for different dampers, more ground clearance, and chassis reinforcements to improve durability. Big bumps in Kenya bent several steering arms over the nine-day rally, but the 356 still made it to the finish line.

porsche 356 rally antartica

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porsche 356 rally antartica

CHRISTINA BRINKERHOFF

7: 2021 Antarctica

Without a sanctioned race, Brinkerhoff set out to drive 356 snowy miles on her most difficult continent yet. The 356 went track-and-ski, the carbs needed multiple chilly rebuilds, and frozen filters wreaked havoc on power. But the little Porsche conquered the polar ice.

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