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I've also always wanted to do this, and the 996 Turbo would really be ideal to Safari-ize. It's probably the closest production car to the legendary 959 Dakar 911... AWD, tons of power to turn the heavy tires, inexpensive enough that you might actually consider taking it on gravel roads... The one that sold on BaT today for 38K would have been perfect!
Tons of Safaried g-bodys, and while the lighter car and simpler suspension has some advantages, for actually using it on gravel roads and the like, the 996 Turbo would bre so much more capable and fun to drive...
Under-body protection is already done in plastic, which would make an ideal template for some heavier aluminum underbelly pans, Lots of folks have figured out how to stuff huge race slicks on the 996 Turbo, so putting on some coil-overs with a bit of additional ride height and some 30" AT's on Braid wheels should be doable without a ton of engineering...
Of course you could just buy the real thing, but considering it went for $6M at auction, a 996 Turbo homage car is about as close as I'll ever get.
I've also always wanted to do this, and the 996 Turbo would really be ideal to Safari-ize. It's probably the closest production car to the legendary 959 Dakar 911... AWD, tons of power to turn the heavy tires, inexpensive enough that you might actually consider taking it on gravel roads... The one that sold on BaT today for 38K would have been perfect!
Tons of Safaried g-bodys, and while the lighter car and simpler suspension has some advantages, for actually using it on gravel roads and the like, the 996 Turbo would bre so much more capable and fun to drive...
Under-body protection is already done in plastic, which would make an ideal template for some heavier aluminum underbelly pans, Lots of folks have figured out how to stuff huge race slicks on the 996 Turbo, so putting on some coil-overs with a bit of additional ride height and some 30" AT's on Braid wheels should be doable without a ton of engineering...
Of course you could just buy the real thing, but considering it went for $6M at auction, a 996 Turbo homage car is about as close as I'll ever get.
But as pancingwas noting, you'd have to lift it at least a foot, and I cannot figure how you would make the AWD suspension work without lowering it in sub frame.
Your point on the g bodies simpler suspension and rear drive is well headed - even then, the geometry to the rear half shafts would be really hard on the CV s ... If not loqered into its own subframe...
But as pancingwas noting, you'd have to lift it at least a foot, and I cannot figure how you would make the AWD suspension work without lowering it in sub frame.
I don't think you need to lift anywhere near that much... Where not building a trophy truck, but a Dakar homage. Look at this picture of the 959 Dakar below... Front suspension doesn't look all that radical or all that much travel. Just the *right* shocks, clearanced fender wells, and high profile tires.
Stock tire size for the 959 where 235/45-17 front and 255/40-17 rear, about 25" in diameter.. Same as a stock Turbo. My guess is the Dakar version was well under 29" in diameter, probably just a bit bigger than the 25"stock tires... People have stuffed *much* bigger Pirelli slicks on 996 turbos without enormous modifications, so I think it'a doable.
Perhaps a bigger issue is the brake size on the 996 Turbo for a true rally wheel & rally tire combo. Too big! Check out the tiny rotors (with massive calipers) on the 959...
OK, there was a detailed enough photo of the auctioned 959 to see the front tire type and size... Dunlop SP Sport 82R in 195/70R16. About 26.7" diameter...
Should be easy to fit that diameter on a Turbo, but no way you'll get a 16" wheel over the rotors, so you would have to drop sidewalls hugely to keep that diameter, and lower profile tires = not so great for real off road use.... (and they don't have the look)...
My working-recipe would be 1. race coilovers, custom valving, maximum perch height, 2. brake rotor/caliper replacement to allow 16" braid rally wheels, 3. 16" wheels, ~27" 70 series off road or rally tires, 4. minimal other suspension changes.
Damn i'm thinking I really should.... It would be *way* more fun than building some silly kit-car. But I also love my current 996 Turbo setup so much I don't want to lose that one, I need a relatively inexpensive donor Turbo!
OK, there was a detailed enough photo of the auctioned 959 to see the front tire type and size... Dunlop SP Sport 82R in 195/70R16. About 26.7" diameter...
Should be easy to fit that diameter on a Turbo, but no way you'll get a 16" wheel over the rotors, so you would have to drop sidewalls hugely to keep that diameter, and lower profile tires = not so great for real off road use.... (and they don't have the look)...
My working-recipe would be 1. race coilovers, custom valving, maximum perch height, 2. brake rotor/caliper replacement to allow 16" braid rally wheels, 3. 16" wheels, ~27" 70 series off road or rally tires, 4. minimal other suspension changes.
I would say there is all of six inches of suspension travel there ... Possibly even more.
So, what I am hearing is that it could be feasible to replace say a heavy 4x4 diesel for when I have to go off road, with a safari-ized 996 turbo.
Does the turbo have a tow rating....?
I would want to find a donor car for around $20k, CDN would be desirable. There is a guy in town who has done this very thing to a Cayenne - it has big suspension, appropriate wheels, and I understand he spent a small fortune to get there...
11-16-2020, 08:13 PM
