Ruf built an off-road 911 called the Rodeo, which comes with a shovel

Porsche has built plenty of rally cars already, some of which were 911-based and, in the case of the 953, tough enough to win a Dakar. Aftermarket specials built since may not face such abuse, but the tuner industry certainly realized the sales potential of raised Porsches, coming up with one “Safari-style” off-road 911 after the other.

Ruf couldn’t present its latest at Geneva this year, but following up on the twin-turbo CTR and the naturally-aspirated SCR, its new Rodeo is an all-wheel-drive alternative for 2020, parked next to the first customer SCR at Pfaffenhausen. These new Rufs are all built around the company’s self-developed carbon-fiber tub, which can house both mid- and rear-engine powertrains as well as the hardware for all-wheel drive.

Ruf says the Rodeo was inspired by Estonia Ruf’s love of Western culture, an appreciation she found while studying in Oklahoma, as well as by Ralph Lauren’s Western-inspired 2011 Spring Collection. Yet the concept’s name was taken from the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, founded by friend of Ruf Bruce Meyer. Another fan of this concept is collector Phillip Sarofim, a Ruf enthusiast with roots in Texas.

Building on the Ruf lines drawn by Freeman Thomas, yet with no input from the designer, the Rodeo features two-tone body cladding, plenty of leather-wrapped accessories, and a handy shovel in case you get stuck in the sand.

Depending on how you prefer to visit the countryside, the Rodeo could also pack both the 510-horsepower SRC or the 700-horsepower CTR twin-turbo engine, all made by Ruf in-house. And with that, Ruf created a 911-shaped off-roader that’s ready to cross the Wild West, as long as you keep your path on the flatter side. After all, ride height hasn’t been raised enough to call this a valid 1978 911 SC Safari alternative.