After departing the southernmost tip of Argentina on July 2, a trio of German adventurers piloted a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI SUV up the Americas to Deadhorse, Alaska, in just 11 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes.
The non-stop drive, which included breaks only for driver changes and fuel, covered 16,000 miles over some of the world’s most demanding roads.
The group was led by Rainer Zietlow of Challenge4 GmbH, which orchestrated the drive for VW. He was joined by fellow Germans Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela.
The Pan-American highway, which is a series of connected roads between 14 countries, is generally paved, but certain sections exist where danger abounds. A blinding sandstorm in Chile and muddy roads in Alaska, portions of which are permanently frozen, were among their biggest challenges.
“We were able to overcome every weather challenge along the way, and our fueling and transportation stops ran like clockwork,” Zietlow said. “Thanks to our sponsors, we were outfitted with a vehicle that could handle the demanding driving schedule and challenging conditions, and had amazing technical and driver support along the way.”
The specially-outfitted Touareg TDI will now be driven to various VW dealerships across the U.S. throughout August to promote the event.
Zietlow says that he will donate 10 Euro cents per mile driven to a charity organization that helps promote children’s rights in developing nations.
