Blick today reveals what Porsche will officially unveil at next week’s Los Angeles Auto Show: a new 911. This time, one is on stilts. The new 911 Dakar is nothing but a rebirth of the 911 built for the legendary Dakar Rally in 1984, with the 953 built – that is, a rustically modified version of the Porsche 911 G of the time in the typical blue and white Rothmans paintwork. The biggest difference at the time was not the increase in power output to around 300 hp, but the heavily modified chassis and high body with all-wheel drive, which was later fitted as standard on the Porsche 959.
In recent years, photos of camouflaged prototypes of the current 911 series with a significant increase in ground clearance and rough terrain tires have repeatedly appeared. Next Thursday, the camouflage suit drops at the Los Angeles Auto Show, people’s favorite show in Zuffenhausen. And the new Porsche 911 Dakar is officially introduced. Then the sports car world can decide whether this mix of Porsche 911 and an off-roader is more current than ever or simply unnecessary. Our guess is that the 911 Dakar could be a success – if only because it’s probably the most extraordinary Porsche you can buy from 2023.
More than 500,000 test kilometers
During the tests, the developers, working with general project manager Achim Lamparter, not only drove the terrain 911 at their test sites, but also traveled more than 500,000 kilometers around the world under extreme conditions in snow, ice and desert. 10,000 kilometers on unpaved roads. The chassis was tuned on the test track at Château de Lastours in southern France. “It was clear to me what a 911 could do on the road. But I was very surprised at how well the car performed on gravel,” says Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas (44).
The Porsche 911 Dakar also had to prove itself on sandy tracks and high dunes. “It performed superbly there, too,” says Frank Moser, head of Porsche’s sports car series. “It is here that the 911 Dakar can fully demonstrate its concept advantages. The combination of low weight, increased ground clearance, a powerful rear engine and a short wheelbase provides a lot of driving pleasure. I was able to convince myself of this on test drives in the Sahara.”
Dakar Rally instead of Formula 1?
After the F1 adventure was postponed, the question arose as to whether the 911 Dakar will only be available as a series car from next year or whether Porsche wants to use it as a factory entry for off-road racing. For now, no one wanted to answer formally. So let’s be surprised.