This plucky Mini just scaled an active volcano

A 1974 Mini 1000, driven by a British automotive adventurer, celebrated the New Year by driving to over 19,000 feet up a Chilean volcano.

The car—and its classic Range Rover support vehicle—are the driving force behind Ben Coombs’ Mini 6000 Expedition across South America. The literal high point of the trip was achieved on New Year’s Eve when Daisy the Mini scrabbled to 5920 meters above sea level. That’s 19,422 feet—a height most people only reach in an airplane.

The Mini was drastically down on power given the thin air at such altitude, even though it was fitted with a supercharger for the occasion. The low-slung British classic (nickamed Daisy) also struggled with deep sand and huge rocks on a track that only hardcore off-roaders normally dare to take. Fortunately, Daisy was also equipped with a winch, sand ladders, and a roof tent for the expedition.

One of the biggest battles the team faced was with altitude sickness. Despite taking time to acclimatize and not ascending more than 900 feet in a day, one team member had to return to a lower level after a few days on the volcano.

It’s not Coombs’ first rodeo. He previously drove a TVR 27,000 miles from the northernmost pub in the world in the Arctic to the southernmost drinking establishment at the tip of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. He’s also undertaken numerous other extreme road trips, including taking a Porsche 924 across Africa and crossing China in a Corvette.

It’s a massive achievement for such a small car, even if Coombs had set his hopes a little higher. “This is as far as it goes, unfortunately,” he told us by email from the treacherous slopes of Ojos del Salado. “The Range Rover is leaking coolant badly, and at these altitudes the Mini’s carburetion is making starting the engine rather miss and hit—dangerous when relying on the winch, as a non-start could strand the Mini in a tricky situation.”

The team will now work its way back down the volcano before continuing their adventures across South America. Good luck!

***

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.