Take this Carrera 4S and imagine it on taller suspension and bigger tires, and you get an idea of what the 911 Safari concept will look like.
Porsche's lineup of 911s in the U.S. is already quite extensive: There are the Carrera, the Carrera S, the Carrera and Carrera S cabriolets, the Carrera 4 and 4S, the Carrera 4 and 4S cabriolets, the Turbo and Turbo S, the Turbo and Turbo S cabriolets, the 50th Anniversary edition, and the GT3. Yet it seems the Stuttgart-based automaker is confident there's still room to grow the model line. According to Motor Revue, a subsidiary of German publication Auto Bild, Porsche will launch a 911 "crossover" concept at the Beijing auto show in April.
The concept, which will be called the 911 Safari, will be based on the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4, and feature larger tires, higher ground clearance, skid plates, and an off-road-capable suspension. If the show car is well received, a production model could come to market by the middle of 2016, which would coincide with the mid-cycle face lift for the 991 911. At that time, Porsche also will introduce a new generation of downsized and turbocharged boxer engines.
The point of such a 911 model would be to take advantage of the high-demand supercar/sports car markets in China, Russia, South America, and the Middle East, where billiard-table-smooth roads aren't as common as they are in Europe. However, we suspect many Safaris would wind up on the boulevards of Hollywood and Miami, too.
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As silly as the concept of the 911 off-roader may seem at first blush, there are historic precedents. In 1978, Porsche ran the East African Safari Rally with a 911 SC Safari, powered by a 250-hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder. For the 1983 Paris-Dakar Rally, Porsche prepared three 911 Carrera 4×4 coupes with 225 horsepower; and two years later, Porsche returned to the race with its 911-based 959 Paris-Dakar supercar.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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