Seventy years after the first man climbed the world’s highest volcano, Ojos del Salado in Chile, two Jeep Wrangler Unlimited vehicles set a new world record by climbing 6,646 meters (21,804 feet) to the volcano’s rim. The achievement, certified by Guinness World Records, is not one that is likely to be easily beaten.
Ojos del Salado is the second-highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere
(6,892 meters / 22,597 feet), and now dubbed the “highest parking lot in the
world”. Over five days in March, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited vehicles carried a
team from Extrem Events (Germany), led by Mattias Jeschke, from the base of the
volcano in the Chilean Andes to the highest point that a four-wheeled vehicle
has traveled.
“A climb like this in not just off-road, but extreme conditions, is a
testament to the performance of the vehicle’s powertrain, suspension and overall
quality. We are very proud that Wrangler Unlimited was the first vehicle to be
able to complete such a rigorous challenge, and believe that it really does set
the vehicle apart from its competition,” said George Murphy, Chrysler Group
senior vice president of global marketing.
During the trip, the team endured hurricane-strength winds, temperatures
that reached minus-30 degrees Centigrade (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) and the
thin air of such high altitudes, as it maneuvered over glaciers, fissured rock
cliffs and volcanic sand. The last stretch of the climb was the most grueling.
Both Wrangler Unlimited vehicles had to cross a glacier, parts of which were so
smooth that any travel by foot required spiked shoes. At the far end was the
glacier field, a fissured ice area strewn with razor-sharp snow penitents. It
was here that the vehicle’s 3.8-liter V-6 engine and Goodyear’s MT/R tires
proved their true capability, and made the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited the first
vehicle to ever cross the Ojos del Salado glacier.
After reaching the initial goal, to surpass 6,500 meters, just beyond the
glacier, the team continued to drive on and pushed forward until there was
nowhere left to drive. “Unbelievable, tremendous, phenomenal,” was the
description from team leader, Jeschke, after reaching the plateau at the end of
the summit.
The two Wrangler Unlimited vehicles that completed this challenge were
standard equipment Rubicon models. In addition to the standard equipment, both
vehicles were fitted with Goodyear MT/R tires, electronic altitude measuring
technology and winches.
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