Tadeusz Elwart is a Polish surfer, event organizer, and entrepreneur best-known for founding the Hel Riders Festival on the Hel peninsula of Poland’s Baltic coast, and for managing a beach campsite known as Chałupy 6 campsite. With the 2024 festival just around the corner, Elwart decided to do something special for the latest Hel Riders Festival and build a beach-specific buggy or off-roader to show off and use as something of a surf taxi. Being the son of a diehard Porsche enthusiast, using a donor from the Stuttgart marque was already forgone conclusion.
As a free-spirited individual that marches to the beat of their own drum, Elwart opted to take a more novel approach to creating a safari-style Porsche, passing over the usual 911 donor in favor of a 928 — a project that would eventually blossom into what’s been dubbed the “928 Surfari.”
At the heart of the front-engined Porsche is its original 5.0-liter (or 5.4-liter) water-cooled V8. Good for at least 240hp, the engine has been paired with an upgraded gearbox and a new differential. These upgrades came courtesy of noted engineer, rally driver, and Classic Dakar Rally competitor Tomasz Staniszewski, who also provided the Surfari’s up-specced, lifted suspension package.
Elwart’s Surfari build boasts an enormous slew of go-anywhere bits that collectively raise the off-road capabilities of the 928 donor. On top of the aforementioned lifted suspension setup, the vehicle has also ben treated to front and rear tow hooks, flared fenders at all four corners, a perforated skid plate, a front winch, and pop-up headlights that have been supplemented via a pair of HELLA spotlights set on a custom bracket.
The top of the 928 has been capped off with a roof rack to accommodate surfboards that also serves as the mounting point for an additional set of HELLA auxiliary lights. Interestingly, this custom roof rack features a pivoting design that allows the aft-end to be mounted to the rear hatch lid. The Surfari project also rides on a classic set of “Phone Dial” wheels now shod in chunky BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.
For the vehicle’s livery, Elwart turned to the brothers behind Lange & Lange — who also happen to be regular frequenters of Chałupy 6 — and tasked the Polish twins with laying down the car’s custom retro desert racer-inspired livery. The car sports a tan base with four burgundy, orange, and muted yellow stripes. Alongside various sponsor logos of brands involved in the build, the livery also gets roundels with #6 race numbers and custom “Surfari” script done in the classic Porsche Turbo font and motif.
The interior has also been reupholstered in tan leather with distorted checker-pattern seat and door panel inserts. The cabin also gets a MOMO steering wheel and race-style window nets. Though it’s largely been left stock aside from its new upholstery, this one tweak hugely transforms the interior’s appearance.
Between Vagabund Moto’s go-anywhere 924 builds and the 928 Monolite Project, this is far from the first time we’ve seen this Porsche body style turned into an off-roader. Having said that, 928-based safari builds are markedly rarer beasts. The way this particular project was developed specifically for tearing up the beach makes it even more unique, as does its appearance, and the collaborative team behind the build. Just as noteworthy is the fact that the Surfari doesn’t just look the part, and is instead a legitimately capable off-roading rig. Lastly, there’s just something objectively cool about a beach-focused safari build made to shred in the sand just like its builder normally does in the waves.
Project Name: 928 Surfari
Donor: Porsche 928
Model Year: Unknown
Builder: Tadeusz Elwart
Livery Artists: Lange & Lange
Engine: 5.0L (or 5.4L) V8
Power: 240+ HP
The Porsche 928 “Surfari” is a one-off build that remains with its owner. As such, it isn’t available for purchase.
Designed specifically for beach driving and off-roading, the 928 Surfari is an idiosyncratic go-anywhere Porsche project built with help from an engineer and Dakar competitor.
