This 1956 Porsche 356A Rally Car Conquered All Seven Continents

From the April 2022 issue of Car and Driver.

Renée Brinkerhoff started rally racing at age 57 with an ambitious goal: to race a 1956 Porsche 356A on every continent. Neither vehicle nor destination daunted chief mechanic Simon Redhead. Here’s how Valkyrie Racing conquered the globe.

1: 2017 North America

Brinkerhoff’s first race in the 356 was La Carrera Panamericana in 2013. Two years later, a crash sidelined her ambitions. After spending 2016 rebuilding and upgrading the car, she kicked off Project 356 World Rally Tour the next year by returning to Mexico and winning her class.

2: 2018 Australia

Unable to pre-run at Targa Tasmania, Brinkerhoff had to keep speeds down. While that frustrated her, the slower pace likely made Redhead’s job easier. “We had no problems there, mechanically,” he says. Again Brinkerhoff claimed a podium spot, second in her class.

3: 2018 South America

Peru’s Caminos del Inca rally proved to be one of the most challenging. The 356 cleared customs, but the spare parts didn’t. Then the engine struggled in the thin mountain air. Overheating issues claimed the flat-four but didn’t faze Redhead: “We changed the engine and continued on.”

4, 5: 2019 Asia, Europe

Starting in Beijing, the Peking to Paris rally stretched 8500 miles over 36 days. After the mechanical gods smote another engine, a replacement air-cooled flat-four was flown in. It arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, in four suitcases, requiring assembly for Brinkerhoff to finish the race.

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.

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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