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This month’s Evo Magazine features a group test of five gravel-friendly cars, one of which is a Tuthill Porsche Safari 911. Not just any 911, but the 2015 Safari Rally winner, as driven by former World Champion, Stig Blomqvist.
The group test took place at Walter’s Arena last year before our cars set sail for Kenya. Evo’s Henry Catchpole set out to evaluate a Polaris RZR, Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Ariel Nomad, Bowler Defender 110 V6 and the Tuthill Porsche 911 Safari car. Not an easy group to filter down to a common denominator, so Henry instead reported on the fun he had in each and sidestepped an overall verdict.
Our reviewer found himself drawn to a long-term relationship with the 911, noting the car’s similarity to a road car despite the challenge of a slippery surface. “Much like the very best road 911s, the Safari car was something that I felt would be an ongoing learning experience. An Escort of similar vintage is easier to jump into and get the best from throughout a stage, but the tricker 911 is arguable more rewarding when you nail a corner from entry to exit.”
Anyone who has sampled our Below Zero Ice Driving school (now taking bookings until mid-March) will remember Richard’s three-stage approach to cornering a Porsche 911 on a low-grip surface, shared with Henry for this feature. Stage one is an aggressive corner entry, hard on the brakes to shift weight forward and allow the weighted front wheels to fling the rear around. Stage two is balancing that pendulum swing on the throttle, waiting for the start of stage three: hard throttle on the exit and winding off the lock. It can be a tricky sequence to master: read how Henry gets on in this month’s Evo magazine or using the (excellent) Evo Magazine app.
The photos shared here are copyright evo Magazine and not for re-use without the express permission of the magazine. A video of the day will be on evo’s YouTube channel in the next month or so. We’ll let you know when it’s available.
“By the time I step out of the 911, I have made it one of my life’s ambitions to go to Kenya and do the Safari in one. You should too,” Henry concludes. If a Safari drive features large on your bucket list, email us at info@tuthillporsche.com.
