1997 Elbrus Expedition Defender 110
The Land Rover Defender 110 that made the 1997 ascent of Mount Elbrus: over 44 days an eight-strong Russian team drove, winched and hauled the dark blue, white-roofed 110 to the 5,621 m eastern summit through breakdowns and mountain weather, and the climb entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest mountain climb by automobile.
History
In 1997 a Land Rover Defender 110 made a unique ascent to the eastern summit of Mount Elbrus in the Russian Caucasus, reaching 5,621 m. The climb took 44 days and involved breakdowns, difficult weather and endless winching and digging; eight team members conquered the mountain with the car, and the ascent was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as 'The Highest Mountain Climb by Automobile'. The project, led by mountaineer and off-road driver Alexander Abramov, joined two extreme hobbies — mountaineering and conquering off-road terrain by car — and is difficult to imagine repeating even now. The photograph on climbing.ru shows the 110 high on the snow slopes: dark blue with a white roof, a rack with four spot lamps and a load of kit, snorkel, winch, white steel wheels and a patchwork of sponsor decals along its sides.
The registry's model is a Defender 110 hard top in dark blue with the white roof, rack, lamps, snorkel, winch, snow chains on every tyre, roof kit that drops as cargo, white wheels and sponsor decals from the photograph. In the game it ignores track obstacles and starts with the roof-cargo drop.
Imagery
Registry record
- Manufacturer
- Land Rover (Defender 110 hard top)
- Manufactured
- Elbrus ascent, 1997
- Modifier / coachbuilder
- Alexander Abramov's expedition team (winch, snorkel, rack and expedition fit)
- Engine type
- Land Rover 300 Tdi 2.5 L turbo-diesel (Defender 110 of 1997; not stated in the source)
- Production run
- 1
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Operated in
- Russia
- Status
- unknown
Catalogue data
- Record kind
- Named model
- Model line
- Defender
- Wheels
- 4
- Nominal wheelbase
- 110″
Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.
Sources & citations
Researched sources
- 1997 Elbrus Land Rover ascent — climbing.ru forum thread with the expedition photograph ↗ — climbing.ru (accessed 2026-09-11)
- 1997 Elbrus expedition Defender 90 — Instagram post ↗ — Instagram (accessed 2026-09-11)
Catalogue references
- https://www.climbing.ru/forum_std/all/section_0_1_2_162/topic_5551/ https://www.climbing.ru/forum_std/all/section_0_1_2_162/topic_5551/ ↗
Registry record updated 2026-09-11T13:10:02.249Z · status: researched