Daily Slideshow: Lots of E-Motion in this Safari-Spec Porsche 911

E-Pun

You'd be forgiven for mistaking the name E-Motion as the moniker of yet another electric car start-up, or possibly one of those panels that deliver a dose of fake sunlight to help ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder, when in fact, it's what Joey Seely decided to name his newest venture. [Editor's note: turns out EMotion is the name of a new Fisker electric car] Seely started out with Peterson Motorsports, campaigners of the successful White Lightning 911 GT3 racer, before moving on to become an owner at BBI Autosport. During his time with BBI, he was involved with more than a few high profile projects, the most famous of which is probably the 'Turbo Cup' (a 911 Cup Car with s Turbo engine) that took 1st place in Time Attack 1 at the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

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Orange 911

Since starting E-Motion Engineering, Seely's been busy building rally 911s. His Luftauto #001 was built in partnership with the organizers of the Luftgetkült Porsche event, along with Emory Motorsports, Modernica, Benton Performance, Pelican Parts, and Jeff Zwart. The car was sold at a charity auction, raising $275,000 for the Autumn Leaves Project, a charity dedicated to pancreatic cancer research. The orange (Signal Yellow) 1987 Carrera you see here, named LuftAuto #002—another collaboration with the Luftgetkült people, was commissioned by Porsche collector Jim Edwards and will join Edward's 934, 935 RSR, and the BBI Pike's Peak Car in his impressive collection.

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Built Drivetrain

The Safari Luftauto #002's 3.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-six was built by Rothsport Racing. It features high-compression pistons, mild-grind performance camshafts, individual throttle bodies, a 996 GT3 intake, a MoTeC engine management system, custom Rothsport-spec exhaust manifolds, and a 997 Turbo S muffler. The G50 transmission was built by Bill Rader Motorsports, retaining the stock first and fifth gears for usability on city streets and highways, but lowering second through fourth for better acceleration on rally stages. The 911's Guard limited slip differential adds an extra measure of sure-footedness in the loose stuff.

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Suspension of Disbelief

The Orange 911's real attraction isn't the engine or trans though, it's the 10-inches of ground clearance, paired with head-turning Land Rover-meets-General Lee Dakar-style fashion sense. Luftauto #002 is more than just looks though, the rally-spec 3-way KW Competition coilovers were modified using long-travel dampers and springs to provide a full nine inches of suspension travel. Seely cut and boxed in the rear shock towers for clearance, utilizing 964 top mounts, and the control arms are all custom tubular units with modified, strengthened, and repositioned rod ends. In addition, the lower front control arms are two inches longer than the stock items, and the subframe and rear spring plate geometry have been modified to accommodate the raised ride height.

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Safari Spec

The functional safari-spec exhibited by the suspension extends to the exterior of the car, with skid plates protecting all vital engine, suspension, and transmission functions. The 911 runs identical 195/70R15 Pirelli gravel tires on 15×7-inch Braid wheels at all four corners, with two more of the same spec spares—one on the roof rack mount, and one under the front trunk lid—gravel is sharp. Protective light grilles, six mudflaps, and debris-shedding drilled rear bumper complete the purposeful look of the '87 Carrera. If the car seems a little dusty in the photos that's because it just came back from a video shoot in the desert, but going forward it's likely to look that way more often than not—its new owner intends to use his new 911 the way Seely and Porsche intended: fully.

>>Join the conversation about the Luftauto Safari 911 right here in the Rennlist Forum!

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