I know some of you might think I am mad for even asking the question, but should we overlanders open our minds more to sports cars as viable adventure rigs?
Late one night last week, I was thumbing through some of my favorite online auction sites when I stumbled upon this 1979 Porsche 924 Safari. I don’t need to recount the vehicle’s entire pedigree here.
Suffice it to say, though, it’s been refurbished with new paint and a lot of mechanical touches. This in addition to a heep of really bad-ass off-road equipment that was bolted to its body, including a very snazzy roof rack.
Incredibly, despite all of this, it sold for just shy of $18,000, which, to me, is an absolute steal. You can barely get a regular 924 in that kind of nick for $18k, let alone one with a ton of accouterments on it.
This got me wondering if we should embrace more sports cars, albeit heavily modified ones, into the overlanding market. Walk with me here.
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High-riding 4×4 trucks and SUVs are a no-brainer. Ditto motorcycles. And we even accept two-wheel drive motorcycles with sidecars, namely Urals. Why don’t we see more sports cars?
Unlike adventure moto’s, sports cars have windshields, heaters, body structures that protect occupants from injury in a crash, and more storage space for gear, be it inside or on the roof. Rear-wheel drive sports cars have twice the number of drive wheels as moto’s, too. And I don’t want to hear that rear-wheel drive isn’t good for off-roading because not only are moto’s RWD, so, too, were many early rally cars before the advent of modern AWD.
So, why can’t kitted sports cars be overlanding rigs, too? Sure, there is the issue of ground clearance. That can be solved with suspension spacers and bigger tires and extra underbody protection can be added with custom skid plates. Plus, traction isn’t a huge issue either. That’s because any sports car worth its salt has a limited-slip differential.
Still think I’m crazy? Then why does Front Runner sell a platform rack for the 924, huh? See, maybe I’m not off my rocker after all.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to trade in my FJ80 for a Porsche or Datsun Z car. But, if I’m honest, there is some appeal to the segment.
