Porsche developing 911 Dakar off-road sports car

Porsche might be known for their luxury cars and pavement racing, but they have also won on other surfaces like the legendary Dakar Rally twice in the 1980s. While the German make does not have a rally raid factory programme today, they will celebrate said accomplishments with the launch of the Porsche 911 Dakar, the first two-door sports car designed with off-roading in mind.

The company first competed at what was then known as the Paris–Dakar Rally in 1984 at the behest of Jacky Ickx, whose team formally entered Porsche’s cars. In their début, 1981 winner René Metge drove a Porsche 953, a heavily modified version of the 911 with four-wheel drive and an upgraded suspension, to victory. Metge then went on to repeat in 1986 in a 959. Although Porsche no longer enters factory efforts at the rally, Agostino Rizzardi races a 964 as a privateer while The Checkered Flag interviewee Amy Lerner competes in the Dakar Classic in a 911.

Oveeseen by Achim Lamparter, the 911 Dakar underwent testing in various environments including the rocky rally-style Château de Lastours in France, on ice in Arjeplog, Sweden, and the sand of Dubai and Morocco. Should Porsche consider entering the car into rally raid competition, the lattermost situation provides the best opportunity to hone the vehicle as the Dakar Rally currently takes place in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, while Dubai and Morocco both host international rally raids.

Credit: Porsche

“I knew what a 911 could do on the road, but I was absolutely stunned by how well the car performed here on the loose,” said Romain Dumas after testing the car in France. A Porsche factory driver, Dumas is more renowned for his sports car success but regularly dabbles in off-road, including racing a Toyota Hilux at the 2022 Dakar Rally.

1980 and 1982 World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl got the nod for the Sweden test. He described it as “incredibly fun to drive” as “everything works so precisely and calmly. No Porsche customer will believe all the things you can do with this car before they’ve driven it themselves.”

Also involved were sports car veterans Jörg Bergmeister and Lars Kern.

“At first, I didn’t have the nerve to push the car to its limits,” said Kern. “But I am very satisfied with the handling on loose surfaces. Even the ABS is optimised for braking on gravel. It’s amazing how much traction the off-road tyres deliver. The car is a blast to drive.”

The car will be formally revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 16 November.

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