We don’t know about you, but we have a thing for old Porches. For some weird reason, our hearts skip a beat whenever one of these gracious sports cars comes in sight. Hell, we’ve been spending enough hours as it is playing Need For Speed - just to get a fill, albeit digital, of what’s it like to hone a classic Porsche through a scenery meant to recreate the Côte d’Azur. That’s the same reason we would be willing to sell a lung and a kidney just to get our hands on this 1984 911 Carrera 3.2 that’s been turned into a sort of safari car. Yes, safari car. Read on.

The 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2

The then-new model came with a larger, 3.2-liter engine (3,164 cm3) - hence its name - that packed 200 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. The six-cylinder boxer engine was twinned to a five-speed manual and a limited-slip differential which helped the driver on his way to the top speed of 146 mph (235 km/h) but also brought new levels of composure on snaky roads. The 0-60 mph sprint was dispatched in 6.3 seconds and on that note, we’d like you to forget everything you just read and think about that someone turned one such car into a safari vehicle.

Now let’s talk about “Willy,” the 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Safari Car

This car has a pretty cool story, and it goes like this, according to its creator. While Hoonigan’s Larry Chen and Will Roegge were in Wisconsin shooting the VICCI Safari Car on a frozen lake, Andy Kilcoyne, owner of Kelly-Moss Road and Race and the creative mind behind the 911 Safari project linked up with the two over “burnouts, drifting and general shenanigans.” A couple of months later, when Will Roegge decided it’s time to sell the Carrera, Andy stepped in and made it his after “a friendly dare” and “a few group texts.” That’s how the 1984 911 Carrera became the next candidate for a safari build. Or, as Andy puts it, “it didn’t take much convincing for me give this Carrera the Safari treatment. If you’ve ever driven one, you’d understand why.”

For those who care to know, this 911 Carrera was a grey market car legally imported in the U.S. which got to spend most of its bone-stock time in the South. That, however, would change dramatically, as together with Mike Medearis (also of Kelly-Moss), Andy set out a goal: create the “most underrated, modest-looking Safari build to come out of Kelly-Moss.” So, they got to work.

The final result had no bumper extension and saw its wheel wells grow in size. Moreover, the team removed five inches from the front inner wheel well openings on the chassis side to facilitate the steering lock give that larger tires would be fitted onto the Carrera. Then the custom roof rack was added, together with a roll cage. By the way, the car’s all metal, except for the roof, which is made of carbon fiber and kevlar, but somehow the car tips the scales at just 2,500 pounds (1,134 kilos).

Now, coming back to all those parts we mentioned earlier, you’ll be amazed to know that the final version of the Safari 911 Carrera packs a very long list of gear that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have anything to do with a 911, regardless of its age. Allow us to exemplify.

The same goes for the rear bumper, with the mention that the respective light bar is connected to the reverse lamp circuit. Then there’s the 40-inch curved light bar that sits on the front edge of the roof. Something tells us this Carrera now has more lighting power than a small town, because the headlamps are also LED with daytime running lights, with integrated turn signals. Our favorite detail of them all, however, has to be the 17-inch Braid Fuchs replica wheels. And for some eerie reason, those meaty BFGoodrich A/T KO2 tires fit them like a glove.

Stopping power comes from six-piston Brembo calipers in the front and four-piston calipers of the same ilk in the back, while the ground-chassis connection has been made more composed by a set of Eibach springs. On the inside, Willy greets you with Recaro sport seats, a Porsche Classic GPS radio, Momo Prototipo steering wheel, and a reworked cabin altogether.

The unit features a Jenvey electronic fuel injection setup, Porsche smart coils, and a custom crankshaft developed with low-end torque in mind. The new powerplant is bolted to a BRM-built 915 five-speed gearbox with short ratios that also connects to a limited-slip differential.

Now, some last words on the Carrera Safari’s current status. The good news is it’s for sale, and VICCI Car Auctions would love to give it to you provided you’re ready to splash the cash. Now, the bad news, as you might have noticed from the headline, is that the car’s been evaluated at $375,000.

Further reading

James May's 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Will Be Put At Auction