The idea of a purpose built sports car being taken off-road is enough to make the skin crawl for some enthusiasts, but what if a brand decided to build something that could do it from the factory? And no this is not an SUV, it’s the new off-road Porsche 911.
An SUV is meant to combine the agility of a sports car with the versatility of one that is capable off-road. However, the automotive world has been led astray by vehicles that are labelled as sport utility vehicles yet have none within their fiber.
Well, Porsche are no stranger to their sporty models endeavouring off the beaten path akin to the legendary Rothmans 959 and their new 911 variant looks to do the same. Rumours suggest that the off-road Porsche 911 will either bear the Safari name or even the Dakar nomenclature that its 959 forefather conquered in bygone times.
Son of now deceased Uwe Gemballa, Marc Philipp has continued in the shadow of his fathers legacy by creating a contemporary 959 inspired off-roader that has taken the world by storm. Such is the case with many aftermarket manufacturers that seek to provide those with a true sport utility vehicle.
The recipe is quite simple really, and Porsche seem to have followed it vaguely with spy shots of their off-roader. Raise the suspension substantially above the ground to avoid the underbelly from merging with mother nature; put big knobbly tyres and all terrain capable rims on all four corners and change up some of the aero bits to differentiate it from the norm. In all honesty, most aftermarket projects include external roll-cages, sump guards, skid plates, a retro sequence of bonnet mounted lights and of course roof racks to keep adventuring equipment but those are always things that Porsche can add to the expensive shopping list of optional extras if this project goes ahead.
