Most people are familiar with Porsche’s on-track exploits. But few will remember that the sportscar specialist was victorious at the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984. Even fewer are likely to recall that a 911 model participated in the 1978 Safari Rally (see racecar image above).
Now word from Germany has it that Porsche are going to debut a Safari version of its current 911 (991) range at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.
Based on a Carrera 4S the show car will boast a raised ride height, chunky tyres and underbody cladding in the shape of bash plates. No word yet on the engine, though that is unlikely to change from the regular, low-slung model.
Porsche pulled a similar trick in 1989 with the Panamericana concept car, which didn’t make it to production.
Perhaps it is the success of the Cayenne (which heralded the launch of the smaller Macan) that has convinced the Germans that a sportscar for regions with less than ideal road conditions (read: China, India, Russia, Middle East) could just be the ticket.
If the demand is high enough then, who knows, we may just be seeing crossover 911s in production in the not too distant future.
