Porsche 924 Rally Camper: Practicality Meets Insanity?

By Daud Gonzalez - March 7, 2020

Porsche to embark on unique road rally that takes teams across Arctic Circle without help of GPS or highways.

The Porsche 924 is without a doubt one of the most interesting vehicles ever built by the brand. While their initial production run occurred during the late ’70s to late ’80s, they aren’t too uncommon to find on the road today. Most of us would agree that is easier to find a 924 that it is to find an original 930 911. While the 924 does get some flack for not having the key rear-engine characteristics that made 911’s special, it was a very successful car for Porsche. Actually, it was the first front-engine, rear-wheel-drive automobile the company had ever made. Understandably, they had a lot to learn about the platform.

Let’s fast forward a couple of decades later. Now, some folks out in Europe who host the Instagram page Only A Roadtrip Away are converting this Porsche sports coupe into a camper. What exactly do we mean by that? Well, just exactly as it’s implied. They will use this vehicle to both drive and sleep in — in -20 F degree weather! Being in sunny Southern California, that sounds like the definition of torture, but it has piqued our interest. Let’s see what we can learn about this car and event.

According to the group’s YouTube channel, they are on episode 42 of their “visual diary of an idea. build of a concept. stories from the open road.” While that might sound a bit abstract, their work makes a lot more sense when put into context. This unnamed duo is participating in the Baltic Sea Circle Adventure Rally: Winter Edition.

This insane rally puts a car to the test in ways that most others wouldn’t. Why? Well, the adventure takes place over the course of 16 days in 10 countries like Sweden and Norway, where “cold” takes on a whole new meaning. Not only that, all cars participating are required to be at least 15 years old and cannot be aided by any form of GPS. Just to make the journey more grueling, competitors cannot use any freeways or highways either. Up in the Arctic Circle, this means straight rallying through snow just to get by.

This concept sounds just about as intense as it can get with a 40-year-old Porsche. However, the unnamed German team seems to be having a great time. The video begins hilariously with them applying spray-on vinyl wrap. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t actually work anywhere near their liking. According to them, “it will probably look good for a dozen pictures and then it will be terrible.”

Not to mention, they are piloting perhaps the oldest car in the event and also one of the most impractical. However, the absurdity doesn’t stop there, as they also plan on sleeping in the car via a “camper conversion”. They begin this conversion by starting with some CAD (cardboard aided design) to build a support frame for the bed they plan to put in the back. Thankfully, the team has a huge workshop with a variety of professional-grade tools to help them succeed.

A bit later in the video, you see them also install a custom heater motor in the back of the Porsche. This is the only thing that will allow these guys to survive the frigid sub-zero temperatures they will be experiencing on a daily basis. After this, they cut out a large section of foam shaped to their newly built bed frame. With a quick visit to the what looks like the German equivalent of REI, the team picks up some down jackets, sleeping bags, and other necessities for their trip.

However, it can’t really be considered a true rally car until it has 4 Hella lights mounted, a hatchet, and a spare wheel cooking grill included. Did these guys make it all the way to the end of the race? We’ll have to wait until the next video to find out.