New Delhi: Porsche will finally take the wraps off the long-awaited 911 Dakar, the hardcore off-road edition of its flagship coupe, at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16, 2022.
As a tribute to Porsche’s victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, this spiritual successor to the 911 Safari has driven 5,00,000 km (roughly 3,10,750 miles) in a variety of terrains – from snow and sand to ice and rock – as part of its test program. In 2018, Autocar India was the first to report that Porsche could produce a facelifted 911.
Porsche 911 Dakar
While Porsche has yet to confirm full powertrain or modification specs, it’s expected to share the same highly adaptable 443bhp flat-six as the 911 Carrera 4S, given that the marque recently sent two specially modified off-road 911s to Ojos del Salado in Chile – the world’s highest volcano – with that engine.
The only confirmed change for the 911 Dakar from the standard car is the ABS system, which has been optimized for working on unpaved surfaces, and the increased ground clearance, which we speculate will be similar to the volcano-climbing cars.
These cars featured a number of off-road upgrades, including shorter gear ratios, 310mm wide off-road wheels and tyres, raised suspension for 350mm ground clearance, lightweight chassis protection, a specially modified cooling system and a roll cage – all of which would on a similarly designed serial cars made sense.
As part of the test program, the 911 Dakar was taken to the Château de Lastours test track in southern France, a well-known proving ground for Dakar rally cars. Porsche racing driver Romain Dumas, who is already familiar with the 911, said: “I knew what the 911 could do on the road, but I was absolutely amazed at how well the car did here in the open.”
The car’s behavior on other loose surfaces, such as sand, was tested in Dubai and Morocco, where it was repeatedly driven up steep dunes in 45°C heat and according to Frank Moser, vice president of 911, it delivered a “commanding performance”. and the 718 model series.
Two-time world rally champion Walter Röhrl praised the 911 Dakar for driving “so precisely and calmly” on Sweden’s frozen lakes. He said: “No Porsche customer will believe everything you can do with this car until they’ve driven it themselves.
Specifications, availability and pricing details for the 911 Dakar will be revealed next week by Porsche at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
