Porsche 911 Safari Closes In on Its Official Reveal, This Is It in Its Production Body

If you look at the prototype closely, it is easy to see that it comes with the bumper from the 911 facelift, as well as another premiere: intakes in the front bumper. However, unlike previous sightings, the new prototype is with its production body. That means that everything you see on it, except for the camouflage, is there to stay for the model that will reach showrooms later this year.

While we have referred to this model as the 911 Safari all this time, some claim that it might be called 911 Dakar. Until its definitive name is clear, we will stick to the Safari name when referring to it, as it has been the description of choice for lifted versions of this model, not to mention its historical connotation.

It is time for a quick history lesson. In case you are wondering where this trend started, look no further than the late 1970s, when the German manufacturer entered two 911 SC models in the East African Safari Rally. The latter was a race over 3,100 miles (5,00 km) in Kenya, and it took 94 hours (about 4 days) to complete. At the time, in 1978, Porsche was the only team to have completed the event with both cars.

As you have already noticed, those models were not called 911 Safari, but 911 SC 3.0. The vehicle in question was a 953-series Neunelfer, and these were enrolled in all kinds of competitions, which even included the Paris-Dakar Rally.

The Safari name stuck, and even Porsche unveiled a concept vehicle that was called 911 Safari. The concept was unveiled during the Porsche Unseen event, where the marque showcased some of its hidden concepts. The 911 Safari Concept hailed from 2012, and it looked awesome.

Rumors of a 911 Safari model have been going round and round for years, but now it will get a production version. It should not surprise anyone that Porsche has decided to offer a Safari version of the 911, as the designation has become synonymous with this kind of conversion, which is a popular aftermarket affair.

At this pace, who knows, maybe the brand from Stuttgart will work with the legendary Akira Nakai on a factory sanctioned RWB Porsche. But do not get your hopes up too high. On the other hand, you never know. I call dibs on the first test drive with it if this ever happens.

The 2023 Porsche 911 Safari, or 911 Dakar, if the latter name will be the one chosen by the factory, will come with all-wheel-drive as standard, as well as a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six motor. Expect it to provide between 450 and 480 horsepower, while torque could range above 391 lb.-ft. (530 Nm), but not too far over 420 lb.-ft. (570 Nm), if the information we previously had on the topic was spot-on.