Russel Built Fab Porsche 911 Baja: When The 911 Dakar Isn't Extreme Enough For You

An innovative suspension system turns the Baja into a dune raider

The meat and potatoes of any off-road build is the suspension, and the Russel Built Fab Baja 911 has a few tricks up its sleeve. The company’s Baja 500-winning suspension is one of the high points. The setup is featured on the Porsche 964-based Russel Built Fab Safari Sportsman, which is one of the best alternatives to the 992.1 Porsche 911 Dakar if you are looking for something more classic.

The Baja 911 takes this to the next level with an exclusive, chassis-mounted front suspension that utilizes factory bolt provisions. The lightest and strongest components have been used for the suspension. The tower shocks and lower A-arms are made of 4130 chromoly steel that is heat-treated for increased strength during extreme conditions. The spindles and upper A-arms are machined from 7075 aircraft aluminum.

Aside from that, the three-way adjustable coil-over suspension – 2.5-inch front, 3.0-inch rear – allows for 12 inches of suspension travel at the front and 13.5 inches of travel at the rear. To put things in perspective, the off-road suspension of the Porsche 992 Dakar-rivalling Singer ACS allows for 10 inches of travel. Moreover, the Baja 911 front and rear tracks have been widened by 14 inches while the wheelbase has been increased by 3.0 inches, which moves the center of gravity a bit more to the front, further optimizing this off-road 911’s handling.

Classic powertrain with tasteful modifications

The Baja 911 retains the air-cooled design of Porsche’s iconic boxer engine. However, it has been totally reworked and beefed up, with the emphasis being not so much on peak horsepower, but more on mid-range torque. Russel Built Fabrication works with Rothsport Racing, but they also develop some components in-house. The engine started as a standard, 3.6-liter flat-six unit, but has been punched up to 3.8 liters.

It also features custom internals, throttle bodies, and manifolds, along with a Motec ECU. They haven’t gone crazy on the power, instead focusing on making the engine durable and long-lasting. Power can be sent to the rear or all four wheels, through a beefed-up, five-speed manual. It really depends on the donor car and customer preferences. This particular car is the prototype, which started out as a 1991 Porsche 911 (964) Carrera.

The Baja 911 design is, both, classic and functional

According to Russel, almost every part has been modified to make the Baja 911 happen. He believes there are, maybe, five original parts still remaining. The wide, Safari-style body has been completely redone from fiberglass, which contributes to a curb weight 400 pounds lighter than the stock Porsche 964’s 3,200-pound curb weight. It is worth noting, that the 2,800-pound figure of the Baja 911 is in full luxury spec. Stripped-down variants are even lighter. The rally-style hood features rally lights and Russel Built Fab has even given the Baja a very exaggerated ducktail bill.

The interior of the Russel Built Fab Baja 911 is just as purposeful as the exterior. The stripped interior features a minimalist version of the classic 964 dashboard, covered in Alcantara, now featuring a digital, race-spec instrument cluster. The roll cage neatly wraps around the cockpit, which also features leather Sparco bucket seats with six-point harnesses. There are also labeled buttons and switchgear for the various functions that come straight out of motorsports. The lightweight door cards feature diamond-stitched padding, giving a more luxurious feel to an otherwise, competition-spec interior.

The Russel Built Fab Baja 911 might be a bargain

To no surprise, all that exclusivity and know-how come at a price. The Porsche 911 Baja by Russel Built Fab starts at $380,000 and can reach $650,000 for the luxurious models. That’s a lot of money, but a bargain when you look at the competition. The Porsche 992 Dakar, which was limited to 2,500 units, cost $223,450 when new.

But according to Classic.com, the 992 Dakar is fetching $354,549, on average, on the used market these days. While it is not unusual for a limited-edition Porsche 911 to appreciate, another Safari take on the 911 – the RUF Rodeo – commands a much steeper price at $1.25 million. There is no mention of production numbers, which means that the Baja 911 numbers would depend solely on demand. In any case, we doubt it will be less exclusive than the 55,000-plus Porsche 911s produced annually.