A modern safari? Porsche is testing the 911
Perhaps the best sign that the crossover craze has gone one step too far.
Porsche has not confirmed plans to launch a high-riding 911, but Detlef von Platen, Porsche's head of sales and marketing, said in a 2018 interview that such a car "might be a good idea." He even said such a car could be launched as a limited edition model.
The tester has a much taller suspension than usual. Some also have wider wheel arches and stand out with a rear spoiler of an unprecedented design. Some, like the tester in the video, have thick foam covering the wheel arches. This is a common feature when testing suspension systems and helps engineers determine how close the wheels should be to the bodywork. The Styrofoam could also have been added to hide what suspension setup was being used.
Porsche has had this experience before. Recall, Porsche introduced the 911 SC Safari rally car in 1978. Porsche also built three 911-based 953 rally cars and entered them in the Dakar Rally, eventually winning.
The popularity of the early rally cars led to several companies offering Safari-style modifications of older 911s; well-known Porsche tuners such as Gemballa, Ruf, and Singer have also introduced modern successors.
Porsche itself investigated the idea of a modern 911 Safari with a top-secret concept developed in 2012, known as the 911 Vision Safari, which was based on the 991-generation 911 and ultimately never went into production. This does not appear to be the case with the current 992-generation 911.
The 911 Vision Safari Concept featured raised suspension and flared wheel arches, as seen on these testers. It also featured underbody protection and roof-mounted lights.
Porsche's safari-style 911 would likely target buyers in markets like China and Russia. Some will likely appear in the U.S. as well, given the popularity of high-riding models. It could also be popular in Porsche's home country of Germany, where parking with two wheels on the curb is common. Currently, the car is expected to be unveiled in 2023 as a 2024 model.
