Over the past few years, the safari 911 has gone from an obscure off-roader to its own genre. What started as a handful of boutique builders lifting air-cooled cars eventually got Stuttgart’s blessing in the form of the factory 911 Dakar, and the formula has been fair game ever since. The newest entry comes from an unlikely corner of the map, though. Not a tuner, not a restomod shop, but a Chicago industrial design consultancy that normally spends its days designing boats, RVs, and farm equipment. Meet the Tangent Urban Safari 911.
Born Between Client Jobs
Tangent Design Group dreamed this thing up in 2019 after wrapping a client’s 911 project, then took delivery of its own canvas in 2021, a 992-generation Carrera 4 in Paint-to-Sample Black Olive over a tan interior.
The team stripped and 3D-scanned the factory bodywork, modeled everything in CAD, rendered concepts in VRED, and printed full-scale prototype parts on its own large-format 3D printer before sending anything to suppliers. Even the wheel designs were plotted at 1:1 and taped to the car for evaluation.
The Lift Is the Party Piece
Now, plenty of shops can bolt flares onto a 911. But, Tangent engineered its own 3-inch lift kit that keeps the stock 992 suspension intact and the best part? It doesn’t cause any software errors, and anyone who’s wrenched on a modern Porsche knows that this is no small feat.
That newfound clearance allows for a set of proper off-road rubber, wrapped around bespoke forged aluminum wheels Tangent designed in-house and produced with Brixton Forged. And with the Carrera 4’s AWD underneath, the rugged look is actually backed by some serious off-road capability.
Dressed for the Concrete Wilderness
As for the rest of the build; a front bull bar wears a trio of amber-lensed auxiliary pods, a ducktail wing caps the rear, and the Rhino-Rack up top carries recovery boards and, yes, a Gerber axe.
The rally-inspired yellow graphics nod to Porsche’s off-road past, and Tangent even specced a rear windshield wiper.
Spec Sheet
Base Vehicle: 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (992)
Builder: Tangent Design Group (Chicago, IL)
Paint: Paint-to-Sample Black Olive w/ custom graphics
Interior: Tan
Drivetrain: AWD
Lift: Custom 3″ kit (retains stock suspension)
Wheels: Bespoke forged aluminum by Brixton Forged
Notable Kit: Bull bar, ducktail wing, Rhino-Rack, Gerber axe
Production: 1-of-1
Pricing & Availability
The Tangent Urban Safari 911 is a one-off passion project, so there’s no price tag to report. That said, the firm is fielding kit inquiries via email, meaning your own 992 could get the same treatment if you ask nicely.
Recap
2021 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 “Tangent Urban Safari”
A Chicago industrial design firm gave a 992 the full safari treatment, complete with a software-error-free 3-inch lift, Brixton Forged wheels, and a roof-mounted axe.
