Going on safari has a very different meaning when you’re sitting in the passenger seat with Ken Block driving. Sure, you’ll get to see elephants, giraffes, zebras, camels, goats, other wildlife, and all the rugged beauty of the dark continent, but only in passing as you blaze down trails in a 1978 Porsche 911 SC Safari Rally Car. That was the experience that co-driver Alex Gelsomino had as he and Block raced over eight days during the 2022 East Africa Safari Classic Rally back in February. Now their car, which is still in as-raced condition, was up for sale in the UK through Collecting Cars. This is the same car that set eight of the fastest times in the 22 stages.
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Image: Collecting Cars
Tuthill Porsche built the 911 for the race, starting by stripping it down to the shell so that it could be strengthened with reinforced plating. While the car was in this state, the builders also reinforced the mounting points for the EXE-TC five-way adjustable dampers that were added. Underbody protection, a roof scoop, and a whale tail rear spoiler were added. The car sits on 15-inch Braid alloy wheels that are shod in Dunlop Direzza 86RW tires.
The stock 3.0-litre flat-6 was rebuilt, beefing up its performance to 280 horsepower, which is fed to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential. Despite going through the gruelling rally race, there were no mechanical or electrical faults in the car and it is fully road legal.
Done in a vibrant livery telling the story of all the sponsors for the car, it also comes with the unique decoration of a still considerable covering of African dust that could only have been won through the hard-fought race. However, if you were hoping to channel a bit of Block’s skill, you’re out of luck. The car sold for £241,000 (AUD$425,000)
Image: Collecting Cars
Image: Collecting Cars
Image: Collecting Cars
Image: Collecting Cars
Image: Collecting Cars
Image: Collecting Cars
