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Porsche’s Greatest Car Ever Is Under-Appreciated as an Off-Roader. Here’s Proof

More evidence that the Porsche 911 more than just a road-going sports car.

Dark green Porsche 911 with roof rack and luggage at sunset in a mountainous forest setting.Signature Autosports
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By Chris Chin

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When thinking of ways to tackle roads less traveled or even ones lacking pavement, the Porsche 911 isn’t typically the sort of vehicle that comes to mind. But Zuffenhausen proved everyone wrong when it took an OG air-cooled 911 to the infamous Paris-Dakar in 1984.

And, won.

Now, North Carolina-based Signature Autosports is looking to harness some of that heritage and badassery in its latest restomod concept.

It’s called the Meridian 911. While it may be an unconventional approach to the 911’s mission as a road-going sports car, it just further proves how versatile it can be.

A Dakar-inspired classic 911 within reach

White off-road Porsche 911 with roof rack and extra front lights driving on rocky terrain at sunset.
Who needs a factory-built Dakar 911 when you can just hit up Signature Autosports?
Signature Autosports

If one thing’s for sure, Porsche’s own factory-built 992-based Dakar 911 tributes are very special automobiles. They’re also very expensive since they’re extremely limited in production. About 2,500 units to be exact.

Which explains why anytime one hits the market, it fetches as much money as a more-than-decent house. There aren’t many restomodding firms that have attempted their own off-road-inspired 911.

But it seems Signature Autosports is looking to change that.

White and blue Rothmans Porsche rally car number 176 kicking up sand in a desert setting.
Porsche proved how capable the 911 is on all fronts when it took a 911 to the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984 and won.
Porsche

With its latest Meridian 911 concept, it starts life as a G-Series 911 from the late 1970s and 1980s. It’s perhaps, one of the most affordable air-cooled 911 models as they’re very abundant on the second-hand market.

Then, Meridian gets to work by giving it a nut-and-bolt restoration, a lift kit with custom wheels and all-terrain tires, a rugged roof rack, and rally-style forward-facing auxiliary lighting.

Close-up of a black coil spring suspension with a gold-colored component labeled "MERIDIAN 911.
Signature Autosports engineered a custom and adjustable suspension setup for its Meridian 911.
Signature Autosports

Said suspension bits also come with adjustable parameters. Drivers can change the car’s ride height, for instance, depending on the terrain surfaces.

Signature Autosports also says it performs mechanical updates and revisions to the car’s flat-six, all to improve reliability in more varying climates and conditions.

And the company even fits underbody skid plates to protect all the important bits.

To be hand-built from the ground up

Meridian 911 by Signature Autosports

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Signature Autosports says each Meridian 911 will be restored and built from the ground up at its headquarters in North Carolina. All modifications and upgrades will also take place at its home base, all to ensure quality and to guarantee the job’s done right for each build.

Currently, the firm didn’t specifically announce any pricing or availability. But like any extensive restomods, we can’t imagine it being cheap.

Two Porsche rally cars with vintage racing liveries driving on a dusty desert road, one with roof rack and lights.
The Meridian 911 likely won’t be cheap, but it also probably won’t be as wallet-nuking as an actual 992-based Dakar 911 tribute.
Porsche

However, given the fact that the Meridian 911 is based on one of the most affordable and easily attainable air-cooled 911s, we imagine it’ll be much cheaper than trying to score one of those 2,500 992-based factory-built Dakar 911s.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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