Throwback: Kelly-Moss 1984 Porsche 911 is Off-Road Ready
If you love off-road Porsches as much as we do, you're gonna love this Safari build from Kelly-Moss.
Going on a Safari
There's no denying the fact that the Safari Porsche movement is as hot as it's ever been. Which is interesting given the fact that the idea is really nothing new. Regardless, we're suckers for these off-road 911s, which is why we found ourselves enamored with Kelly-Moss' latest build.
Photos: Kelly-Moss
Obvious Choice
This particular car, affectionately dubbed "Willy," started life as a 1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera. It was purchased by Kelly-Moss Director of Operations, Andy Kilcoyne in March of 2018. And it didn't take much to convince him how he should proceed with the build.
Change of Plans
"It didn’t take much convincing for me to give this Carrera the Safari treatment, Kilcoyne said. "If you’ve ever driven one, you’d understand why." Thus, the original idea to fix up the 911 and flip it quickly was soon nixed.
Understated Yet Ridiculous
The car already had a rally suspension, additional lighting, and some wheels and tires. From there, the team came up with a plan. "Be the most understated, modest looking Safari build to come out of Kelly-Moss, while still making it completely ridiculously over the top."
Fabricate This
Over the next 10 months, the team at Kelly-Moss completely blew the Porsche apart and replaced or rebuilt virtually everything. And a ton of fabrication went into reshaping its panels, including wider wheel wells, deleted bumper extensions, and custom roof rack.
Lightweight
Perhaps the most impressive thing about this process is the fact that the 911 remains all-steel, save for a carbon/kevlar roof. And yet, it weighs in at a mere 2,500 pounds.
Blending In
Despite its modest appearance, the more you look at this Porsche, the more one-off details you notice. It was designed to blend in with the crowd, which it does an excellent job of despite the fact that any Safari Porsche is going to draw some attention.
Properly Equipped
Even better, it's equipped to handle some pretty serious off-roading. Goodies including a long-travel Eibach suspension setup, KMR reinforced front lower control arms, and BF Goodrich K02 tires are a big help in that department.
Sideways Fun
There's plenty of power on tap as well, thanks to a KMR-built 3.4-liter engine producing around 340 horsepower. It sends power through a short-geared BRM transmission to those big wheels and tires for some serious sideways fun.
