Porsche 911 Safari Fleet Completes Epic 6,800-Mile Off-Road Trip

Long-distance off-road trips might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for off-road enthusiasts, such trips are definitely on their bucket lists. Days and even weeks of gruelling adventure traversing through some of Mother Nature’s wildest can definitely be made easier with the help from a purpose-built off-roader, though there are exceptions…

Recently, a fleet of Kalmar Automotive’s specially built Porsche 911 Safari completed a 6,800-mile (approx. 11,000 KM) off-road trip through South America’s Andes mountain range.

The trip, dubbed as the Trans-Andes rally, was organised by Kalmar Beyond Adventure – some sort of adventure travel ‘agency’ founded by Jan Kalmar, a Danish off-roader enthusiast who also owns the aforementioned Kalmar Automotive tuning shop. The 39-day journey started from Peru’s capital, Lima, to the tip of the continent at Ushuaia, Argentina.

Joining alongside the fleet of 911 Safaris are a couple of Kalmar-built Porsche Cayenne off-roaders, where the group experienced some of the most bizarre and extreme natural wonders throughout the treacherous off-road trails. This journey saw the team passing through Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Atacama Desert, as well as Uyuni Salt Flats – largest in the world.

The participating Porsche 911s comprised both 964 and 993 generation models, all tuned-up to be capable, full-fledged off-roaders. Kalmar Automotive builds two rally-inspired 911s, named as Kalmar RS and RS-R. The latter boasts a beefed-up 3.9-litre 6-cyl ‘boxer’ mill, outputting about 400 HP and 400 NM – higher than the stock 345 HP output.

Beyond the powertrain upgrades, both the Kalmar RS and RS-R received several off-roading upgrades in the form of carbon fibre bodykit, underbody armouring, roll cages, lifted dampers and more, while riding on bespoke off-road wheels and tyres. On the other hand, Kalmar Automotive’s Cayenne also comes in two variants, namely the Kalmar CS and CS-R.

All of Kalmar’s bespoke Porsches are available to be purchased by customers. Expect a much hefty price tag, though, as the 911 RS-R makeover can cost you up to €350,000 (RM1,652,548) sans tax and a 964 Carrera donor car, of course.

Aside from Kalmar Automotive, numerous aftermarket tuners have fiddled with the famed 911s by turning them into rally-ready cars. STRAAT, a Porsche 911 restorer company recently built a 1988 Porsche Carrera Coupe Safari Style, boasting a 3.2-litre ‘boxer’ mill and off-roading gears.

Meanwhile, Porsche just recently launched the highly-anticipated 911 Dakar – an homage to Porsche’s legendary 953 Dakar rally car who won the prestigious Paris-Dakar rally back in 1984. Featuring a turbocharged 3.0-litre ‘boxer’ engine derived from the Carrera S, the 911 Dakar comes with a special commemorative livery, aside from its rally-laden gears, beefier dampers and bespoke off-road tyres.

Limited to just 2,500 units, the 911 Dakar commands a price tag relatively cheaper than the RS-R at US$223,450 (approx. RM 1,016,698) – perhaps this will prompt future owners to keep theirs captive in their garages...

Photo credit: Kalmar Beyond Adventure Facebook Page