I’ve always admired Porsche cars, I certainly respect that they’re one of the world’s greatest car manufacturers of our era and that the Porsche brand reeks of quality and performance, but I’ve never really dreamed of owning one!
However, that feeling in me seems to have changed, and the reason is the release of the new Porsche 911 Dakar, check this out.
I’ve been aware of this project for a while, and the concept of an off-road Porsche sports car seemed quite plausible, but it March this year it became obvious that the dream would become a reality when this video surfaced:
2023 Porsche 911 Safari/Dakar winter testing – CarSpyMedia
With an Australian price tag of around $491,500 plus on-road costs for the base model and delivery date for the second half of next year, this is a Porsche I’m very much looking forward to meeting. The Porsche 911 Dakar was recently released at the Los Angeles Auto Show, only 2,500 cars will be manufactured, and notable features are, the ground clearance has been increased by 80 millimeters with a lift-function chassis, an option is the Rallye Design Package which echo’s the look of the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally winning car, and off-road sports tyres. According to Porsche:
‘Porsche is celebrating an extraordinary world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show: the new Porsche 911 Dakar is just as comfortable off-road as it is on the highway. Limited to just 2,500 examples, this exclusive model doesn’t just demonstrate the all-but-limitless possibilities of the Porsche 911 concept: it also evokes the first overall victory by Porsche in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally. This momentous win also marked the birth of all-wheel drive in the Porsche 911. This is why the new 911 Dakar is also offered with an optional Rallye Design Package, reminiscent of that iconic winning car.’
The Porsche 911 Dakar looks like an amazing piece of machinery and the thing I like most about it is, you don’t have to worry about scratching the very expensive front when you go over steep drains or nosing into the gutter whilst parking!!
This Wheels/Whichcars article by Alex Affat looks at the Porsche 911 Dakar in a little more detail: