Recently the Stuttgart firm revealed the Porsche 911 T to us, of which we already gave you all the details. Now the German brand surprises us again with something out of the ordinary, in the versions of the 911.
What’s happening?
At the 2022 Los Angeles Motor Show, Porsche unveils the new Porsche 911 Dakar, a sports car with truly amazing off-road capabilities and which has a very important heritage.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Why is it named after Dakar?
The model name pays homage to the first victory of Porsche in the Paris-Dakar Rally, which took place in 1984, where with a modified 911 he won. The model is also very relevant for the German brand, because it was the first to carry an all-wheel drive system.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Put to the test in the worst terrain conditions
With more than half a million kilometers traveled during the test periods. This 911 Dakar, to demonstrate that it is a sports car made for off-road, was put to the test in more than 10,000 km of extreme off-road conditions around the world.
- It was tested on the off-road tracks in Weissach, Germany.
- On the Château Lastours test track in France, his performance was examined in
- typical rally roads and to fine-tune the suspension.
- In Arjeplog, Sweden, it was put to the test in slippery conditionson the thick layer of ice of the lakes of the mentioned place.
- In sandy deserts, in Dubai and Morocco, he pushed himself to the limit on steep 50-meter dunes in temperatures up to 45°C.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Design
The distinctive features at the design level of this 911 Dakar are:
- Newly developed rear spoiler made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer.
- The trunk lid is also made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer, it has air vents that it inherits from the 911 GT3.
- Red aluminum tow bars.
- Widened fenders.
- Stainless steel protection elements throughout the vehicle.
- Redesigned air inlets in the front fascia, stainless steel grills are integrated, to protect from possible stone chips.
Inside we find:
- Standard bucket seats, the rear ones were removed to reduce weight.
- Light glass and a lighter battery were installed.
- Understanding the above, the 911 Dakar weighs 1,605 kg, just 10 kg more than the 911 Carrera GTS with PDK transmission.
- Inside upholstery is Race Tex as standard with Verde Shade accent stitchingcolor that is also available for body painting.
Optionally, the Rally Sport package is available, which includes a roll cage, six-point seat belts and a fire extinguisher.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Technical characteristics and powertrain
It has a ride height of 50mm (this exceeds the height of the 911 Carrera), but can be increased by up to 30mm, thanks to the body-raising feature.
The elevation system can be used in its highest position of 80 mm, traveling up to 170 km/h. Exceeding that speed, it drops to the normal height.
It has Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus off-road tires (245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear), specially designed for this model. The thick tread pattern is nine millimeters deep and both the sidewalls and reinforcing cords come in two layers.
- The engine of this sports car is a 3.0L twin-turbo six-cylinder boxer with 480hp and 420lb-ft of torque.
- The gearbox is eight-speed PDK and has Porsche all-wheel drive.
- It is included in the rear axle steer, the engine mounts of the 911 GT3 and the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) system that limits chassis roll
- It does 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and the top speed is 240 km/h.
It offers two driving modes Off-Road and Rally. The first raises the body up to 80 mm and puts the traction system to work in sand and difficult terrain. The second was created to move efficiently on slippery surfaces, giving a higher percentage of traction to the rear axle.
It features the new Rally Launch Control, which allows you to get brutal acceleration on low-grip surfaces, at the same time as about 20 percent wheel slip.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Rally Design Package, inspired by the 1984 Paris-Dakar winner
The 911 Dakar sports a roof rack, and because there’s a 12-volt socket in that area, you can illuminate the roof’s headlights. This accessory allows you to carry basic elements of a rally; fuel drums, water, folding blades or traction plates.
- The body has a two-tone white with gentian blue, metallic paint.
- For the sides, the buyer can choose an individual race number between 1 and 999.
- It consists of decorative stripes in red and gold.
- On the doors it presents a logo of “Roughroads” (roads in poor condition).
- The wheels are painted white and the red taillight stripe, in contrast to the standard vehicle, completes the distinctive appearance.
- Finally there are seat belts and accents, in Shark Blue.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023: Price and arrival on the market
Production of the 911 Dakar will be limited to 2,500 units. And now you can move away, the prices are:
- Porsche 911 Dakar 2023 $222,000 dollars
- 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar with 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally Design Package: $250,000