It’s no secret Porsche is working on a new 911 Safari off-roader. Our spy photographers have been spotting and shooting test mules for months now. Shown here are the latest images, now with a nearly ready production body. However, our sources are now telling us the Safari name will not be used.
The nameplate first appeared way back in the early 1970s when Porsche backed modified 911s in off-road rally races such as the East African Safari. Porsche was clearly fond of the 911 in rally form because, several years later, the 959 was developed for Group B rally racing. Its then-new all-wheel drive system was later installed in the 911 Turbo, a hallmark feature that remains in place to this day.
Expect it to pack the 911 4S’ all-wheel drive system along with the 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six which, at present, produces 443 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque. The 911 Dakar prototype shown here might further indicate something else: the upcoming 992 refresh.
Some elements of the tweaked design could find their way to the 992.2. The 992 generation was revealed at the 2018 LA Auto Show as a 2019 model, so a facelift shouldn’t be too far out. If we had to guess, both the 911 Dakar and 992.2 will arrive for the 2023 model year.
