With a motorsport history that arguably shames any other car manufacturer on the planet when it comes to the number of overall race wins, Porsche has been present over the years in just about any type of racing there is, including some fields which normally wouldn’t be exactly appropriate for a sports car manufacturer.
One such racing scene is rallying, where cars like the funky-looking Porsche 911 SC below had its fair share of success.
After a previous involvement with a works team back in 1968, which lasted only until the early 1970s, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer made a brief return to this motorsport category in 1978, with the so-called 911 SC “Safari”, a car that came close to actually win the 1978 East African Safari Rally.
Had it not hit a rock while crossing a small river, which damaged its rear suspension, the car in the footage below could have won the aforementioned rally after leading it for quite a few hours into the race.
Despite having been beaten by a much slower Peugeot 504 – a car by the same manufacturer which didn’t leave Porsche name their car the 901 back in the 1960s – it proved that the 911 could also evolve into a off-road rally car that can win races and ride with the big boys outside the tarmac.
Apart from the raised suspension, off-road tires, extra headlights and a roll-cage, the 911 SC “Safari” was mostly stock, with the car that actually participated in the East African Safari Rally now sitting in the Porsche Museum, with the exact same specification as it did in the 1978 event.
By Alex Oagana
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