Off-roading in a Porsche sports car is nothing new. The 911 has been a rally favorite for decades, so much so that Porsche built the 911 Dakar for off-pavement fun directly from the factory. But this is no Safari 911. It's a classic front-engined 928, and it's not designed to conquer deserts or rally stages.
Say hello to the 928 Sufari. This Porsche was built with the beach in mind, hence the surfboards attached to the roof rack. It's owned by Tadeusz Elwart, the originator of an event in Poland called Hel Riders. It's a festival dedicated to cool cars, skateboarding, and surfing, and this 928 fits in perfectly with the theme.
The goal was to build a Porsche that could handle off-road activity in true safari style, but also cruise beaches as a functional surf taxi. The 928 with its V-8 engine certainly has enough power, but the front-engine/rear-drive layout isn't necessarily the best for getting traction on loose surfaces. Veteran rally driver and engineer Tomasz Staniszewski stepped in to offer his expertise, having recently finished the Classic Dakar Rally driving a modified Porsche 924.
Details of the build aren't shared, but the 928 sits a bit higher and it rides on beefy all-terrain tires. Aspects of the suspension, transmission, and differential were tweaked not only for going off-road, but also crawling along a sandy beach. Warsaw-based design group Lange & Lange was called upon for the exterior design. There's a hint of Rothmans in the 928's stripes, and there's no missing the flared wheel arches. It's a good look for this 1980s classic.
In a world where safari-themed 911s are everywhere, it's nice to see the 928 getting some off-pavement attention. Technically, its mission is to get surfers out on the big waves. But if we had this car on a beach, we'd forget all about the surfboards.
