Porsche 928 Surfari: Poland project for surfers

Porsche conversions are a dime a dozen. The company itself is also busy selling customised models to wealthy customers, and even 911s with a higher ride height are now available ex works. But are they as cool as this special 928?

The story of the 928 Surfari began many years ago. A father and son team worked hard to set up a campsite and water sports business on the Hel peninsula on the Polish Baltic coast. But what the two have always had in common is not just the family business by the sea, but also a passion for cars.

Gallery: Porsche 928 Surfari

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Source: Porsche

Tadeusz Elwart, the current manager of the Chałupy 6 campsite and initiator of the Hel Riders Festival, was influenced early on by Porsche enthusiasm, which led to a special idea: the 928 Surfari.

The aim? To create a Porsche that can tackle off-road terrain to take its occupants to the sea in style as soon as the big waves are spotted. Unique, unusual and almost impossible to achieve, what would sound like an insurmountable challenge to many was an encouragement to the Hel Riders team.

Porsche 928 Surfari

Porsche

The Porsche 928 in Elwart's garage provided the perfect base. Anyone who has heard the classic Porsche V8 engine knows how special it is - and that power would not be a problem. But other challenges soon began to emerge. For example, how to adjust the gearbox, differential and suspension to turn a 928 into a beach buggy.

This is where Tomasz Staniszewski comes in. The Polish engineer and rally driver had just finished the classic Dakar Rally in his self-converted Porsche 924. Staniszewski found numerous solutions to achieve the goal of creating a 928 with a surf soul.

More 928 appreciation:

Pastel Porsche 928 pays homage to the early 2000s with lots of purple

Porsche 928 restomod debuts making 400 bhp in a carbon-fibre body

Porsche 928 from ‘Risky Business’ sold for more than we expected

Porsche reveals 30-year-old 928 shooting brake prototype

The design of the Surfari is the work of Lange & Lange. The twin brothers have been part of the Chałupy 6 scene for decades and are responsible for the look of the car.

After its debut at the Hel Riders Festival, it was time for a Surfari road trip. Elwart made his way to Sylt for the famous Petro Surf Festival and then on to the island of Rømø in Denmark. The trip proved to be the perfect opportunity to test the surf mobile extensively. And the next wave is sure to come.