A fresh YouTube video confirms that the German automaker is working on a rally version of the iconic 911, which could hit the roads in one or two years with ‘Safari’ attached to its name.
Aside from assorted camouflage trim pieces, the sports car boasts upsized wheels, an active rear spoiler and plenty of ground clearance. It seems like the ride height could be 50 mm (2 inches) greater than that of the standard model.
Larger wheel arches enable a considerable increase in suspension travel, but for now, the prototype has been filmed testing at the Nürburgring rather than off-road. This is only natural, of course, because a Safari model would need to be every bit as agile on the highway as it is on exposed ground.
Powertrain-wise, the car would borrow all units and components from the Carrera 4S AWD. The latter packs a three-liter flat-six engine turbo’d to 450 PS (444 hp / 331 kW) and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft) and needs 3.6 seconds to get to 100 km/h (62 mph). In all likelihood, the off-roader will be similar if not identical in this regard.
Various Porsche 911 Safari prototypes have been spotted before, leading Motor1.com to assume that the car could be ready to debut in the first half of 2022. In a launch plan revealed this spring, Volkswagen Group explicitly mentioned an off-road-capable Porsche 911 coming to the market, so it should not be far from market at this point.