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Roundup: Enthusiast-built safari cars that will inspire you to hit the dirt roads

Written by Daniel Lackey

The recipe is fairly simple: take an orthodox car, add unorthodox ground clearance, all-terrain tires, and hit the dirt.

Inspired by the East African Safari, and in particular, the Martini liveried Porsche 911s that took part in 1978, the popularity of the ‘Safari Build’ continues to climb to heady new heights. While specialists like Leh Keen and Richard Tuthill craft best-in-class offroad Porsche platforms ranging from FIA legal rally cars to the creative and conceptual, the craze has been seeing enthusiast-built projects surface left and right.

Although the Porsche 911 is the most prominent platform, the off-road road car concept can be applied to just about anything. With a splash of Group B and a pinch of Baja 1000, there are a few people who have diverged from the traditional path to create some truly unique vehicles. Perhaps the genre's newfound popularity is due in part to our eagerness to get out of our homes and into the wild following the pandemic restrictions, or, perhaps we feel the need to flee the heavy traffic of our crowded city streets. Either way, it looks like the Safari build is here to stay.

We scanned the interwebs and Instagram to find some of our favorite builds which you can browse and follow below:

Alfa Romeo GTV: Dropped Alfa

The car: Dropped Alfa | The photographer: Jeff Stockwell

Moving a little off-piste, I’d like to introduce you to the ‘Dropped Alfa’, a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV aptly named after it fell off the back of a truck while in transport. Prior to being ‘dropped’ this Alfa Romeo was built for carving the canyons outside LA. After the drop, it remained badly beaten until brothers Iliya and Nikita Bridan, of Oil Stain Lab , came up with a plan for its reincarnation.

The twins, who both work as designers, discussed many potential plans but settled on a Safari build, after all, they couldn’t damage it any further by taking it off-road. The Alfa lent itself surprisingly well to the conversion. Lifting the suspension proved to be straight forward and the body could accommodate large tires without modification. The tuned engine is better suited to blasting through the desert than climbing steep trails. The car was developed over time but proved so popular that it led them to construct a follow-up Safari build. 

I Am Detailing's BMW E30 325ix

The car and photo: Jakub Marek (I Am Detailing)

Expert car detailer Jakub Marek spends his days preparing some of the world's most special cars for premier concours displays. In his free time, he does the exact opposite. After owning over 20 BMW 3-series, he took this 325ix almost completely apart and built it into a off-road capable machine for the Gambler 500 in less than a week (yes you read that correctly). This included making a custom skid plate on front to protect oil cooler and oil pan for the upcoming event.

After servicing the engine and brakes and adding 27/8.5-14 tires, Jakub proceeded to drive the car from LA to Oregon just in time for said Gambler 500 event and the car performed flawlessly.

Alfa Romeo GTV6: Aether Alpine Alfa

The car: Aether's Alpine Alfa GTV6 | The photographer: Shayan Bokaie

Following the success of Dropped Alfa, the Bridan brothers were commissioned by Aether Apparel to build another Safari car. Aether wanted something unique and discussed many potential platforms including a Porsche 968, but the decision was made upon the discovery of a low mileage Alfa Romeo GTV6. Work began immediately. Concept drawings were realized in 3D while they attended to the Alfas electrics and mechanicals.

The rear suspension of the GTV6 is a complex affair with de Dion tube, trailing arms, inboard disc brakes, and a 5-speed transaxle. A simple lift wasn’t going to be possible. The rear end was 3D scanned so components could be designed and manufactured to lift it properly while retaining the correct geometry. The results are simply exquisite, a properly engineered car that can handle off-road with an equally arresting aesthetic that complements Giugiaro’s original design.

Meet the writer

Daniel Lackey is a long-time photographer, automotive writer, and Porsche Carrera Cup GB Team Manager for CCK Motorsport. Needless to say, he keeps pretty busy when not contributing to Marqued!

Stay up-to-date with the latest action and stories on Marqued's Instagram and Facebook pages.

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Lions have sex on top of safari truck full of people, wild video, roaring sex lions get busy on top of safari truck ... tourists take it all in.

A couple of lions felt the love so much that they started banging on top of a tourist safari truck ... and the people inside certainly got an eyeful and then some.

A group of tourists partaking in a South African safari were recently left stunned as 2 randy big cats made themselves at home atop their vehicle.

The male lion is seen mounting a resting female lion ... confirming their boinking session with a couple of growls. The jeep noticeably shakes from side to side as they do it ... sparking laughter and gasps from the tourists seated below.

The lions' intimacy didn't last too long ... with the lioness lying tired to the side as the king of the jungle eventually disconnected.

While the encounter may have given some tourists the ick on the spot ... it's significantly less scary than the African elephant attack from earlier this month -- which ended in a death.

No one died here ... just a couple of kitties getting laid!

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