Discount Dakar Dream: The Perilous Proposition Of A Budget Porsche 911 Safari Turbo

The Transformation Of The 996 Into A Safari-Style 911

You cannot have an off-road build without off-road parts. To get started Tyler bought hardware from Elephant Racing that tries to emulate the performance and look of the 992.2 Porsche 911 Dakar. They include:

• Long travel coil overs

• Subframe spacers

• Off-road tires

• A bull bar

• Auxiliary lights

• Roof basket

We wish he also thought of getting an underbody skid plate as well, more on that later. The finished build makes the 23-year-old 911 appear quite ready to take on the extremes. On the initial drive on the pavement, Tyler comments on how much softer the suspension is on this higher-riding 996 (around 5.0 inches of ground clearance), especially when compared to the stock setup.

Finally, we get to see the car do what it was truly built for, as Tyler takes it across a grassy knoll. It endures rough roads, mud, and even minor bodies of water. Tyler does get the car stuck a couple of times, but that’s just part of living that off-road life. Fortunately, there happens to be a friend’s RAM TRX on hand to pull the car out.

The Porsche 911 Project Is Actually For Sale

From the video, we also learn that Tyler is currently in the process of revamping Hoovie’s garage and his farmhouse in Kansas. To raise funds he is also selling some of his cars. The Off-Road Porsche was already sold to one of his close friends, which he delivered to him caked in mud, straight from its offroading session. Unfortunately in a later video, we learn that the Safari 996 was returned owing to some issues. Tyler brings it back to the Car Wizard’s garage to determine if his extreme off-roading session did some lasting damage.

Once it’s lifted, we see that the car’s underside, which includes engine components caked in mud. There’s also some superficial damage from all the rough roading. The damaged turbo intake pipe, would have led to catastrophic engine failure if left unchecked. This is where beefing up the underbody with more protection could have come in handy. Think Underbody Protection Package for the Dakar, which adds things like splash guard flaps, stone chip protection films, and reinforced underbody cladding. Tyler’s 911 Turbo Dakar is still for sale if you are looking for a fun sportscar to take off the beaten track on the weekends.

To sum it up, answer to whether you can spend just over $40k and have more fun than with a $200,000 Porsche 911 Dakar, is a definitive yes. If you are not hell-bent on a two-door Porsche that can be driven off the pavement and are okay with a more practical body style, you can’t go wrong with an old Cayenne. This one from 2008 seems to be kitted out for off-road adventures and would have cost you less than $20k.. Prices for these rigs seem to be fluctuating between low and comically high at the moment, but its fun factor cannot be denied.