The Porsche 928 You Didn't Know You Needed: Enter The Surfari

Find out why this owner chose to transform his 928 into a high-riding beach buggy

by Amrit Balraj on July 27, 2024, 10:30

The ’Surfari’ 928 is one of the more creative builds, that we’ve come across in a while. We say this because while Safari-style Porsche 911 are quite well known, we haven’t seen the 928 embrace that rugged jacked-up look. The Surfari was conceptualized by Tadeusz Elwart who lives on the Hel Peninsula - a narrow strip of land in between the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Puck, in Poland. From a young age, Tadeusz’s father instilled a love for cars in him, especially vintage air-cooled Porsches. This is where his idea for the Surfari was formed and eventually manifested into a heavily modified 928.

The 928 was Porsche’s first model to feature a V8 and debuted back in 1978. The lifted 928 seen here was built with the help of Dakar Rally Driver Tomasz Staniszewski and Designer twin brothers Gustaw and Aleksander Lange. The idea was to create a beach buggy-inspired build, which meant modifying the 928’s suspension, gearbox, and differential. Tadeusz is also the manager of a campground called the Chalupy 6 and the founder of the Hel Festival.

The Porsche 928 Surfari is the work of Tadeusz Elwart, owner of Chalupy 6 campground and organizer of the Hel Rider Festival in Poland
The Hel Riders Festival Is named after the Hel Peninsula, a 22-mile-long stretch of sandy land in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the Baltic Sea
The location of the Hel Riders Festival is the Chalupy 6 campsite

The Hel Riders Festival Was Started For The Community

The Porsche 928 You Didn't Know You Needed: Enter The Surfari storyboard - image 188323

The founder of Hel Riders Festival wanted to create an ideal place for like-minded enthusiasts of skateboarding, art, motorcycle riders, and vintage air-cooled Porsche lovers. The event which is in its 3rd year has competitions for skateboarding, surfing, kitesurfing, photography, and a whole lot of activities for attendees. The festival despite being only two years old at this time, has garnered a sizeable fan following and we expect it will get bigger, with a focus on classic Porsches and motorcycles going forward. The first year even had a cinema screening on the beach, with the Baltic Sea in the background.

The Surfari made its debut at the event and it looks the part with the rally-inspired livery, a winch on the front bumper, a roof rack, auxiliary lights, and knobby tires. The V8-powered 928 was the near-perfect canvas for a ’surf car’. Maybe we will see similar projects in the future with the 928 as a base. Unlike old-school air-cooled 911s, where valuations have gone through the roof, the 928 is relatively more affordable with an average price of $34,000 on classic.com, over the past five years. The Porsche 928 was in production for 18 years from 1978 to 1995, with some changes in engine output, features, and technology as the model aged. For some reason, the 928’s V8 engine is also a popular choice to be made into a coffee table As for the Surfari, it is heading to Sylt, Germany next, for the Petro-Surf air-cooled Porsche festival before continuing to the Danish island of Rømø.

Hel Riders Festival 2023 by Recepcja Chałupy 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O16spYpbvus

Amrit Balraj

When not reading up or watching videos about obscure and rare automobiles, Amrit spends his free time planning imaginary road trips on some of the best driving roads in the world, preferably in an old truck with a motorcycle strapped to the bed. Read full bio