10 extraordinary records set by Porsche cars
From towing an Airbus A380 to driving to the top of the world’s highest volcano, these Porsche cars have pushed performance to remarkable extremes
Modified Porsche 911 climbing Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile
How far can a Porsche travel in 24 hours? How fast can one drive inside a building? And could a production car really tow one of the world’s largest passenger airliners? Over more than seven decades, Porsche cars have set records on racetracks, ice, mountain roads and even deep underground
What extraordinary records have Porsche cars set? Longest 1.5-litre endurance drive 10,987 km in 72 hours by a Porsche 356 SL Le Mans race-distance record 5,335.16 km by a Porsche 917 KH Closed-course speed record 355.86 km/h average by a Porsche 917/30 Heaviest aircraft pulled by a production car 285-tonne Airbus A380 by a Porsche Cayenne Fastest Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap 5 mins 19.55 seconds by a Porsche 919 Hybrid EvoFastest speed indoors 165.1 km/h by a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Shortest charging time when driving across the US 2 hours 26, minutes and 48 seconds by a Porsche TaycanGreatest altitude change by an electric car 4,842.967 metres by a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Highest altitude reached by a vehicle 6,734 metres by a modified Porsche 911 Longest continuous electric car drift on ice: 17.503 km by a Porsche Taycan GTS
Image 1 Porsche 356 SL driving banked circuit Montlhéry France 1951
In 1951, a Porsche 356 SL covered 10,987 km in 72 hours at Montlhéry, setting a world record in the 1.5-litre class Photo: Porsche
1, Longest-running •72 hours in a Porsche 356 SL Porsche’s first automotive world record came in 1951, just three years after the first car bearing the Porsche name was registered.The location was the banked Linas-Montlhéry circuit near Paris. The car was a Porsche 356 SL equipped with a 1.5-litre engine. Over 72 hours, it covered 10,987 km at an average speed of 152.34 km/h – including every fuel stop, driver change and maintenance break.Richard von Frankenberg organised the attempt and was one of five drivers originally scheduled to take part. The result was a new world record in the 1.5-litre class – and the first international automotive record achieved by Porsche.Read more about the 356 Discover more about the 356 SL record
Image 2 Porsche 917 KH racing 24 Hours of Le Mans 1971
Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep won the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans in this Porsche 917 KH, covering a record distance of 5,335.16 km while doing so Photo: Porsche
2. Furthest distance driven at the 24 Hours of Le Mans • the Porsche 917 KHWinning the 24 Hours of Le Mans requires speed, reliability and endurance. In 1971, the Porsche 917 KH combined all three to set a distance record that would stand for almost four decades.Driving for Martini Racing, Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep completed 397 laps and covered 5,335.16 km. Their average speed across the entire 24 hours was 222.3 km/h.Its distance record remained unbeaten until 2010, when changes to the circuit and faster modern machinery finally helped another car travel further.The achievement came one year after Porsche secured its first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and helped establish the 917 as one of the defining racing cars of its era.Discover 7 more Porsche cars that made Le Mans history
Image 3 Porsche 917:30 speeding around Talladega Superspeedway Alabama USA
Mark Donohue averaged 355.86 km/h in a Porsche 917/30 at Talladega Superspeedway in 1975, setting a closed-course speed record that stood for 11 years Photo: Porsche
3. Fastest closed-course average • the Porsche 917/30By 1975, the Porsche 917/30 had already dominated the North American Can-Am championship. But its final defining performance took place against the clock rather than other racing cars.On 9 August 1975, Mark Donohue took a specially prepared 917/30 to the famous Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Its turbocharged 12-cylinder engine produced 1,230 HP, aided by charge-air coolers which Porsche used for the first time.Donohue averaged 355.86 km/h around the 4.28 km-long oval circuit. It established a new closed-course speed world record that remained unbeaten for 11 years.Porsche 917/30 and Cayenne Electric: 1,000 hp sportscars
Image 4 Porsche Cayenne towing Air France Airbus A380
A standard Porsche Cayenne S Diesel tows a 285-tonne Air France Airbus A380 at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Photo: Porsche
4. Heaviest aircraft towed • a Porsche Cayenne and an Airbus A380The Porsche Cayenne measured 4.8 metres long. The Airbus A380 it was asked to tow at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2017 was 73 metres long and weighed 285 tonnes.Despite the difference in scale, the completely standard Cayenne S Diesel pulled the Air France aircraft for 42 metres. The achievement secured a Guinness World Records title for the heaviest aircraft pulled by a production car, exceeding the previous benchmark by 115 tonnes.The Cayenne was connected to the A380 using a special towing attachment mounted to its standard tow bar. Its 4.2-litre V8 diesel engine produced 850Nm of torque, but no mechanical modifications were made for the attempt.After setting the record, Porsche GB technician Richard Payne repeated the exercise in a petrol-powered Cayenne Turbo S. The Cayenne S Diesel was then driven back to the UK, having arrived from London by road before the attempt.Read more about the record attempt
Image 5 Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo Nürburgring Nordschleife
Timo Bernhard set a record-breaking lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 2018 in the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo with a time of 5 mins 19.55 seconds Photo: Porsche
5. Fastest lap around the Nürburgring • the Porsche 919 Hybrid EvoFor 35 years, Stefan Bellof’s remarkable 6 min 11.13 second lap of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife appeared almost untouchable. Set in a Porsche 956 C in 1983, it became one of motorsport’s most respected records.But that was until 29 June 2018, when Timo Bernhard completed the 20.832 km-long circuit in a time of 5 mins 19.55 seconds at the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. His average speed in doing so was 233.8 km/h, lowering Bellof’s time by 51.58 seconds.The Evo was an unrestricted development of the 919 Hybrid that had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. Freed from racing regulations, it produced more power, weighed less and generated significantly more aerodynamic downforce than the competition car.Watch the record lap of the Nürburgring Timo Bernhard’s top tips for driving the Nürburgring
Image 6 Porsche Taycan Turbo S inside New Orleans convention centre
Leh Keen reached a speed of 165.1 km/h in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre in New Orleans in 2021 Photo: Porsche
6. Fastest indoors: 165.1 km/h in a Porsche TaycanReaching a world record high speed inside a building presented racing driver Leh Keen with an unusual problem. The Taycan had to accelerate from rest, set the record and stop again all before reaching the solid wall at the other end of the hall.The attempt took place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre in New Orleans in February 2021. Its exhibition hall offered enough space, but the polished concrete floor provided grip levels Keen compared to driving on ice.Using Launch Control, he accelerated the all-wheel drive Porsche Taycan Turbo S to 165.1 km/h before braking to a standstill. The successful record attempt required just one full-speed run.It comfortably surpassed the previous Guinness World Records benchmark of 138.4 km/h, which had stood for seven years. Acceleration helped set the figure, but traction, stability and braking performance were equally important in bringing the Taycan safely to a stop.Discover more Porsche Taycan records
Image 7 Red Porsche Taycan driving across the American desert
Wayne Gerdes drove this Porsche Taycan from Los Angeles to New York with a cumulative charging time of just two hours, 26 minutes and 48 seconds in 2021 Photo: Porsche
7. Shortest vehicle charging time across the USA • Los Angeles to New YorkDriving an electric car across the United States requires more planning than simply jumping into the driver’s seat and setting off. Charging stops can determine how quickly the journey is completed, which is why this attempt measured the time connected to a charger rather than the overall duration of the drive.Efficiency specialist Wayne Gerdes drove a 2021 Porsche Taycan from Los Angeles to New York, covering 2,834.5 miles – approximately 4,561 km. Across the entire journey, the Taycan spent a cumulative two hours, 26 minutes and 48 seconds charging.That was less than half the previous Guinness World Records benchmark of seven hours, 10 minutes and one second.Find out more about the latest generation of the Porsche Taycan
Image 8 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo climbing Pikes Peak Colorado USA
This Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo travelled from deep inside Eagle Mine in Michigan to the summit of Pikes Peak, an altitude change of 4,842.967 metres Photo: Porsche
8. Greatest altitude change • almost five vertical kilometresMost road trips are measured by the distance travelled across a map. This one was defined by the difference between its lowest and highest points.A Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo began its journey in Eagle Mine, Michigan, almost 540.8 metres below sea level. It finished at the 4,302-metre summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, establishing a Guinness World Records benchmark for the greatest altitude change achieved by an electric car: exactly 4,842.967 metres.Starting in the mine, with its increased ground clearance and all-wheel drive system, the all-electric Taycan Cross Turismo negotiated the underground access tunnels without modification.From there, the team covered more than 2,250 km through six US states in a little over a day. The changing conditions included sunshine, rain, ice, snow and increasingly thin mountain air.
Image 9 Modified Porsche 911 climbing Ojos del Salado volcano Chile
Romain Dumas drove this modified Porsche 911 to 6,721 metres above sea level on the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile in 2023 – higher than any vehicle had previously reached Photo: Porsche
9. Highest altitude achieved • driving a Porsche 911 up a volcanoAt 6,734 metres above sea level, the air contains around half as much oxygen as it does at sea level. Temperatures can fall to 20 degrees below freezing, while the ground consists of boulders, volcanic ash and deep gravel.In December 2023, racing driver Romain Dumas reached the west ridge of Ojos del Salado in Chile in a specially prepared Porsche 911. The drive set a new record for the greatest altitude reached by a vehicle.The record-breaking car, nicknamed Edith, was based on a 911 Carrera 4S. Its standard 3.0-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine and seven-speed manual transmission were retained, while portal axles increased its ground clearance to 350 mm. Lightweight Aramid-fibre underbody protection allowed it to slide over rocks.The 911 also ran on refuels produced in Chile. It continued upwards until the summit of the west ridge made further progress impossible.Discover how the 911 climbed the Ojos del Salado volcano in ChileRead about 7 more extraordinary Porsche off-road cars
Image 10 Porsche Taycan GTS drifting on ice in Finland
Jens Richter drifted this Porsche Taycan GTS for 17.503 km on ice at the Porsche Arctic Centre in Levi, Finland in 2025 Photo: Porsche
10. Furthest sideways • 17.503 km on iceOn 14 January 2025, Porsche Experience instructor Jens Richter began circling an ice track in Levi, Finland in a Taycan GTS. He didn’t straighten the car again for 46 minutes.Richter completed 132 laps in controlled oversteer, covering exactly 17.503 km. The result established a Guinness World Records title for the longest continuous vehicle drift on ice by an electric car.The attempt took place at the Porsche Arctic Centre, around 150 km north of the Arctic Circle. The Porsche Experience team created a 59 metre-diameter drift circle, and the otherwise standard all-wheel drive Taycan GTS was fitted with commercially available tyres using one-millimetre spikes.The first attempt ended after around 11 km when the ice deteriorated faster than expected. The team then fitted shorter spikes on the tyres and tried again after temperatures fell, eventually surpassing the previous record by more than 2.6 km.Read more about another Taycan drift recordNOTE Some of the records may have been surpassed since they were originally set
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