Safari-Style Porsche 996 Turbo Is the Perfect “Discount 911 Dakar”, Costs Corolla Money

I’ve heard Sterrato owners praise their car for being a lot more comfortable than the regular Huracan, especially at going over bumps. These vehicles also offer additional peace of mind, seeing as how you’re less likely to bottom out on an incline due to the increase in ground clearance.

The thing is, if you wanted a crossover, why not just get a crossover? The very point of a 911 Turbo or a Huracan is to maximize potential in terms of performance, not practicality. Both the 911 Dakar and the Huracan Sterrato are kind of like a slap in the face of what Porsche and Lamborghini originally intended for the 911 and the Huracan.

It’s like Disney remaking Snow White with a far-left agenda in mind. I get the pull, but you’re disrespecting the source material.

Anyway, when Porsche launched the 911 Dakar in Los Angeles back in November of 2022, I think pretty much everyone praised them for their initiative, as if 911 customers had been asking for such a vehicle for decades. Maybe a handful of people wanted something like this, but I guarantee you that most 911 owners wouldn’t even dream of buying a Dakar over a regular Turbo or GTS, or whatever they’re into.

Speaking of the 911 GTS, that’s what Porsche used as the foundation for the Dakar, meaning the latter comes powered by a 3.0-liter flat-six with 479 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Despite an increase in ride height, this off-road savvy 911 can still hit 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. Nobody said it was slow.

What it is though, is expensive. It starts from $222,000. But what if I told you that you could get an off-road-ish Porsche 911 for like a tenth of that cost?

Meet this Safari-style 996 Turbo from 2002, getting auctioned off to the highest bidder. It’s finished in Seal Gray Metallic and features red 911 R-style stripes to go with the matching Porsche graphics along the sides.

Other visual highlights include the front bumper guard, rock sliders, a Rallye Monte Carlo sticker, revised bumper covers, adjustable coilovers, 2.5” helper springs, aftermarket lower front control arms, custom front sway bar, four-way adjustable rear sway bar, a set of black 18” custom wheels with BFGoodrich g-Force Comp-2 A/S tires, plus front and rear adjustable drop link kits.

According to the seller, this car rides 3” higher than a factory 996 Turbo, which should come in handy for those of you who really fancy this sort of vehicle.

As for performance, it’s got a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six, with 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque, with Everything getting sent to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Not bad, right?