Porsche 911 4S Cabrio has all-wheel drive for better acceleration and control, not rough and dirty off-roading like this.
Despite Porsche’s reputation for making fast street and racecars, the idea of one going over rocks and dirt is not that wild. There have been 911 rally cars before. Porsche offers a Cayenne Off-Road Experience that shows drivers just what the popular SUV can do far away from paved surfaces. But this video of someone in a Porsche daring to go where mountain bikes usually venture is bonkers…because they’re doing it in a 992 4S Cabrio.
A man by the name of Deyan Vasilev posted the footage in a Facebook group. Judging by the group’s name (“Spotted in Sofia” in English) and location, the action takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria. And it clearly involves someone who must’ve uttered the words, “Let’s see what this thing can do.” Normally, when someone says that behind the wheel of a Porsche 911, they’re on a street or highway and just about to pin the throttle pedal. But for whatever reason, the person driving this brand-new Cabrio wants to put his droptop’s all-wheel drive system to the ultimate test.
The fearless (wreckless?) driver slowly inches their way down an uneven, bumpy slope. Amazingly, the Cabrio’s rear lower fascia doesn’t scrape or get snagged on the rough earth. Perhaps emboldened by cheating utter cosmetic ruin, the driver pushes on.
They soon reach a point where the back end of their car seems safe from Mother Nature’s destructive touch. But that only leads the adventurous 911 owner to a rocky stream crossing. They’ve already gone further than 99.9 percent of 911 owners would go on such a path, so why not keep going? They do and, once again, come out on the other side with the dirt and muck of an outdoor adventure on their unlikely off-roader.
Porsche likes to stress the fact that its non-sports-cars have sports car DNA in them. Apprarently, things can work the other way, too, because this 992 4S Cabrio clearly has some Cayenne genes. That’s a good thing. It sure needed them.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
