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Porsche Reveals Secret 911 Safari Concept, Macan Safari Too

Rumors about Porsche introducing a jacked-up incarnation of the modern 911, which would bring the Safari badge to showrooms, have been around since the first part of last decade. And for good reason: back in 2012, just months after the introduction of the previous 991 Neunelfer, the automaker built a working prototype of the 911 Safari. Well, this is only one of the thirteen never-seen-before Porsche concepts we'll be discussing.
Porsche 911 Safari Concept 49 photos
Photo: Porsche
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The Germans recently opened their study vault containing secrets from the interval between 2005 and 2019, bringing forth the said concepts, which have reached various stages of completion. And we've put together three tales covering this stunt, which has been dubbed Porsche Unseen (you are now reading #1, with the others awaiting you behind the link).

We'll kick things off with the 911 Safari, since a prototype of a lifted 992 Neunelfer was recently spotted on the Nurburgring, so we might just get to see a production future for this development.

Porsche started building rally cars out of 911s back in the 1960s, with these gaining some serious ground clearance for offroading competitions such as the East African Safari Rally and the Paris-Dakar in the 70s and the 80s. In fact, the concept we have here borrows its name from the 911 SC Safari, an air-cooled racer that shined back in 1978.

Not least thanks to its wing, this concept might appear to be a 991.1 GT3 with ground clearance for days dunes. Upon closer inspection, though, we notice the bespoke front and rear aprons and the muscular wheel arches, which are filled by 19-inch units wrapped in Goodyear high-performance all-season tires with meaty sidewalls, at least by sportscar standards.

Peeking inside the cabin (no, really, we can't see the full interior, even though Porsche explains it has dreamed up a cabin for each one of these concepts), we notice bucket seats and the kind of roll cage that can withstand the challenges of a rally. And the obvious rear seat delete is accompanied by a carbon shelf sitting behind the front seats, with this holding a fan that's supposed to cool one's helmet in between hot stages.

Porsche Macan Vision Safari Concept \(2013\)
Photo: Porsche
The Macan Vision Safari was completed in 2013, before the production version of the crossover started rolling off the production line - the existing platform, shared with the 2008-launched, first-gen Audi Q5 made this timing possible.

As with the Neunelfer mentioned above, this crossover concept sought inspiration in the air-cooled 911 Safari of the old days, as well as in the 959 Paris-Dakar monster of the mid-1980s.

Even its wheels, a modern interpretation of the classic Porsche Fuchs design, are somewhat similar to those of the concept discussed above - however, these tires used here show a more rugged profile, while the "screws" that hold the black wheel arch extensions in place feature a polished finish that easily allows them to stand out.

The rugged terrain accessories include bits such as the roof rack, which appears to be prepared to accommodate extra lights, while the Black & White theme highlits the sporty nature of the crossover. Speaking of the last aspect, this is mostly covered by the three-door nature of the proposal, which shows Porsche was considering SUV-coupes well before releasing the sloping roofline incarnation of the Cayenne last year.

And while the non-functional exhaust tips are there because this is a hard model rather than a working prototype, we can still see a generous roll cage adorning the interior.

Porsche Le Mans Living Legend Concept \(2016\)
Photo: Porsche
Remember the Boxster Bergspyder concept showcased in June last year? Based on the pre-718 981-generation model, this was born back in 2015. And while the uber-light (think: 1,130 kg) machine was the ultimate incarnation of the Boxster, the Germans had also cooked up an equally-extreme contraption revolving around the Cayman.

Completed in 2016 as a clay model, the Porsche Le Mans Living Legend is described as the spiritual predecessor of today's 718 Cayman GT4. However, we have to keep in mind that the original Cayman GT4 had been introduced during the previous year.

It's worth noting the middle section of this proposal accommodates nothing less than a flat-eight motor - among others, this helps reduce the center of gravity.

And while one might point out this development somewhat resembles the Alpine Celebration Concept of 2015, which previewed the modern A110, history begs to differ.

You see, the resemblance is linked to the rounded lights housed in the nose of the vehicle and the teardrop shape of the greenhouse. And these are nods to the Porsche 550 Coupe that took on the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1953, a full decade before the French brand began its Le Mans offensive.

We're not expecting Porsche to introduce a production eight-cylinder boxer anytime soon, but we'll remind you the Cayman is scheduled to receive its very first Rennsport model next year, when the 718 Cayman GT4 RS is set to make its debut.

Porsche Vision Spyder Concept \(2019\)
Photo: Porsche
While we're talking mid-engined Zuffenhausen machines, let's move on to the Porsche Vision Spyder. Developed in 2019 as a hard model, this can be considered a spiritual successor to the 550 Spyder, so we're looking at a compact offering here.

And it seems the proposal mixes nods to both the lifestyle choice that was James Dean's 550 Spyder, which used the Little Bastard nickname and the Porsche 550-1500 RS Spyder. The latter is the racecar that saw Hans Herrmann devouring some 3,000 kilometers (1,850 miles) in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana competition, ultimately grabbing the class victory, as well as third place overall.

For instance, the motorsport throwbacks involve the flat radiator grilles sitting above the mid-mounted motor, the red racing stripes and the fin-like elements at the back.

Interestingly, this study helped define certain design elements for production Porsche sportscars animated by internal combustion engines (more on this below): the vertical layout of the front light clusters and the angular roll bar serve as examples, with these having entered the Porsche DNA.

Of course, a compact mid-engined Porsche reminds us of the Mimo platform (short for Mittelmotor, or mid-engined) of the late 2000s. Previewed by the 2009 VW Bluesport concept, this was supposed to be used for production sportscars from the said brand, as well as from Audi and Porsche, with the latter set to deliver a model slotted below the Boxster.

Sadly, the plan was left officially canceled in 2014, but you should know the automaker has considered an even more radical approach in terms of an uber-light sportscar: enter the world of the Porsche 904 Living Legend.

Porsche 904 Living Legend Concept
Photo: Porsche
Just like the study discussed above, the 904 LL can seat two adults, albeit with this involving a tandem rather than a side--by-side layout. And if the setup sounds familiar, it's because the base structure is the same carbon monocoque you've met on the Volkswagen XL1, the production version of the Group's one-liter car concept.

Now, the Vee-Dub used a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid powetrain in an attempt to stay true to its name, which signifies a fuel consumption of one liter per 100 km (in the real world, the efficiency sat at around 2l/100 km, which is still a massive achievement).

However, with Porsche being Porsche, this study, which was completed in 2013 as a 1:1 scale hard model, was designed with a V2 motorcycle engine in mind - the combination between the high-revving motor and the low weight of the vehicle (think: around 900 kilos) would've certainly delivered an all-engaging driving experience.

And yes, the proportions and dimensions of the machine, which appears to sit on modern 911 Turbo wheels, are not unlike those of the Porsche 904. For the record, the latter was dubbed Carrera GTS following the same nameplate rights matter that saw the Porsche 901 receiving the 911 moniker (Peugeot claimed the rights to the X-0-X nomenclature). We're refering to a mid-1960s racecar (this also received a road version) that marked the beginning of a series which ultimately led to the birth of the 917, one of the most successful nameplates in motorsport history.

"Will Porsche ever build a sportscar slotted below the 718 family, though?" one might rightfully ask. And while nothing is official yet, we're expecting the plan to be resurrected in a future stage of the electric revolution currently taking place in the auto industry, which brings us to our next Porsche Unseen tale. This #2 story revolves around four electric concepts the carmaker is showcasing for the first time.

As for the #3 article, this is all about hypercars, from a street incarnation of the three-time Le Mans winner that is the 919 Hybrid to a 918 in Rennsport form.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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