Reddit Find: 986 Porsche Boxster Safari - Yay Or Nay?

Does The World Really Need A Safari-Style Boxster?

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The response from most commenters on Reddit about this odd creation has been mostly positive; I call it... well, let’s not mince words shall we? One called it a poor man’s Dakar whereas another went a step further and called it a ’Daxter’ (Dakar+Boxster) just like Boxster (Boxer+Roadster), get the analogy?

Now here’s a car that by all means shouldn’t exist. A mid-engined Porsche Boxster with a hardtop roof, and the 986 in this particular case has now been reimagined as some sort of Rothmans-liveried dirt-eating deviant. Some might even call it sacrilege, but in a world where even jacked-up hatchbacks are being passed off as SUVs, I say this car is Intriguing in a car crash, you can’t look away from kind in of way.

Apparently, the man behind this unique build, 61_m hails from China. He appears to be a Porsche enthusiast with a penchant for the unorthodox. He seems to have thrown on a whole heap of custom fabrication at this poor Boxster and the result well is certainly something.

The Stats (because there has to be some logic, right?) Here’s the Breakdown:

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• Inspiration: Rothmans Group B Rally Porsches (the 911 SCRS and 959) – built for a bygone era of flat-out balls-to-the-wall rallying.

• Suspension: Custom airbag setup – fancy engineering similar to the air-ride setup on the latest Panamera and Taycan, but does it belong on a car that should be carving corners, not bouncing over dunes?

• Body: A widebody Boxster silhouette, with the addition of additional lighting on the hood and roof, mud flaps, a whale-tail spoiler (because who says it only belongs on a classic 911 Turbo?), and likely some underbody protection (essential for those off-road excursions, wouldn’t you say?).

• Wheels: Beefy off-road BF Goodrich rubber – a necessity for any self-respecting safari car. But have they bothered to adjust the gearing for those knobby tires? Doubtful. There’s also an additional frame to hold the spare wheel.

• Engine: No mention in the source material but frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the stock Boxster unit. 986 Boxsters made between 200 and 250 horsepower from either a 2.5 or a 2.7 mill. Not exactly the powerhouse you’d want conquering dusty trails while lugging around all that additional weight, is it?

The Verdict (with a healthy dose of Skepticism)

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Look, as a fun and affordable engineering project, this Boxster Safari is certainly ambitious. It pushes boundaries for sure, but is it practical or efficient? Maybe not. Is it a conversation starter and a head-turner? Absolutely and you have my blessing. This 986 defies the norm and in my opinion, not everyone in the Porsche community might be fond of it. Do I hate it? Surprisingly, I don’t because it’s audacious, it’s different and in a world obsessed with conformity, I would argue that it is commendable even if it would make you raise an eyebrow or two.


So how much would something like this cost you? A 986 is a pretty inexpensive proposition (provided the infamous IMS bearing has been dealt with), with an average price of just $15,877, according to Classic.com Throw in some off-road hardware and I think you should be able to build a decent safari-style rig for under $25k. Keep in mind that even if you jack up the ride and throw on off-road tires, it’s going to be RWD, so no year-round all-weather capability.

On a final note, my only gripe is why don’t Porsche themselves capitalize and further build upon this trend with a Dakar sub-brand. While an off-road sportscar isn’t like the best-case scenario or so I thought, the limited-run 992 Dakar has been incredibly popular. Even with folks like Jay Leno and Richard Hammond), the ’Dakar’ name on more rugged variations of the Cayenne like the Transsyberia and Macan SUVs could probably be spun off into a sub-brand. In fact, I even saw several, heavily modified Gen-1 and Gen-2 Cayennes at the Icons of Porsche last week and I think this could certainly benefit the German marque in more ways than you can think.