Lifted Chevy Corvette C5 Safari Off-road Build Vision

The recipe for ultimate off-road fun is simple: take a high-performance vehicle, give it more ground clearance, fit it with proper tires to accommodate bumps and whoops, and install body armor to protect it from the punishment of the trails.

While trucks and SUVs are more suitable to serve this purpose, their heavy weight, sheer size, and underpowered motors only subtract from the fun factor. But what if you take something more performance-oriented as a base for such a project, that already has low weight and plenty of power to spin oversized tires in a crazy powerslide?

Key Takeaways:

• C5 Corvette Seems to be a pretty cool candidate for a Safari-style off-road build
• V8 Motor provides enough power to spin oversized M/T tires with huge momentum
• Custom body armor is a must to protect it from punishing abuse of the trails

Crazy enough, this idea crossed the minds of Porsche engineers when they decided to compete in off-road rally racing events almost 50 years ago. As a result, their 911 model won the 1984 Dakar Rally, which is known as the world’s most enduring off-road racing event.

Since then, the word “Safari” has been widely used to describe sports car builds dedicated to off-road performance. The famous CG artist Abimelec Arellano decided to create his own vision of a Safari-style Chevy Corvette build based on the C5 generation of the model, produced from 1997 to 2005.

Artist’s vision

– The Safari supercar trend is here to stay, and I’m alright with that, as pretty much everything looks better when modified to tackle difficult terrain.

I’ve wanted to do a C5 Corvette for the longest time, but I wasn’t sure what style to go with until it finally hit me. This is inspired by the multitude of Safari 911s, with a pinch of American truck ruggedness. I went a little safe with the exterior/interior color combo to give it a bit of a mature appearance and contrast with the suspension lift, offroad equipment, etc.

Absolutely not a trophy truck, but I reckon this would be a TON of fun in a dirt backroad.

The vehicle features all the common upgrades and modifications that you can see on a typical Safari off-road build. The front bumper was chopped and enhanced with a tubular bar equipped with hooks and a skid plate, which supposedly covers the elements of a long-travel suspension setup common for PreRunner trucks. Two round driving lights are seamlessly integrated into the license plate opening (quite an interesting solution).

On the sides, you’ll notice thin bars that look like rocker guards or rock sliders. The rear bumper has been left unmodified, perhaps due to its low overhang. The rear fascia was enhanced with stylish shackles, which may seem like a good idea considering that this rear-wheel-drive vehicle might sometimes need to be towed out.

On the roof, you’ll notice probably the most common element of any Safari build: the roof rack with an integrated LED light bar. A similar rack is located right on top of the trunk lid, which brings up similarities with the luggage racks mounted on classic convertibles. It serves as a handy platform to carry necessary gear along with the canisters and traction boards.

Parts list

• Prerunner-style tubular bumper with a skid plate and red shackles
• Rocker guars / Sliders
• Licenceplace-mount off-road driving lights
• Windshield mount LED lightbar
• Custom Roof rack
• Custom trunk rack with traction borad holders, gas canisters and rear facing pod light

Conclusion

This awesome Safari Corvette build perfectly blends in the classic sports car aesthetics with rugged off-road modifications. The artist’s vision of mixing the Porsche Safari DNA with iconic Corvette styling has resulted in something that pushes the boundaries of possible. While taking a Corvette off-road may sound like a crazy idea, this concept embodies the pure driving joy and creative spirit that makes car culture so diverse and exciting.