Porsche’s Final Safari: A Rallying Roar Across the Wild

Porsche’s motorsport legacy is mostly defined by its dominance on tarmac in competitions such as Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Spa. But go back a few decades, and you’ll find a different side of the brand: one forged in gravel, snow, and sand. In the 1970s and early ’80s, Porsche was deep in the world of rallying, and not just as a curious outsider. From a 1-2 class finish at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally to the extreme Group B 911 SC/RS in 1984, the Stuttgart marque gave it everything on rally stages around the globe. They even conquered the Dakar Rally in 1984 with the four-wheel-drive 953. And just recently, they honored that spirit with the lifted, off-road-capable 911 (992) Dakar edition.

But if there’s one rally that tested the brand like no other, it was the brutal, unpredictable, and often chaotic Safari Rally in Kenya. And in 1978, Porsche gave it one last shot, with two cars, two top-tier drivers, and a support crew ready to chase them across 5,000 kilometers of dust, riverbeds, and mountain roads. What followed was one of Porsche’s most determined, dramatic, and ultimately symbolic performances in motorsport.