Porsche 911 Dakar: Now the 911 is to be an off-roader

Now he will Porsche 911 off the road. of Porsche 911 GT3 RS it was just presented, as the sports car manufacturer is at the other end of the 911 range. The latest – and perhaps most extreme – modification of the 911 is the 911 Dakar. It is named after the Paris-Dakar Rally, which Porsche won in 1984 with a modified 911.

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Porsche 911 Dakar should be called “Journey” (Update!)

However, the name Dakar was not the first choice. When development began in 2012, Porsche had a completely different name in mind for the off-road racer: “trip“. For legal reasons, however, Porsche was not allowed to use the name.

Reason: Complicated has the right to mention “trip” in terms of cars. India’s car manufacturing industry is already medium-sized SUV and this name in the program – and it has been since 1998. But since the two cars are very different, the Porsche people thought. Complicated will allow them to use the name.

“We talked to them,” Thomas Krickelberg, head of Porsche’s program, recently told “Edmunds.com“. “But they didn’t give us permission to do that.” So they decided on the name “Dakar”.

But finding that was not an easy task. After all, as part of a popular convention, the name “Dakar” is named after the capital of Senegal. And as it turned out, before using the name, Porsche needed permission from the organizer of the rally, the Amaury Sports Corporation – which eventually gave permission.

The 911 Dakar is small and quite expensive

However, the off-road version of the 911 will remain something very special. Dakar production has reached 2500 copies. Another obstacle for Dakar buyers is the price. Because at 222,020 euros, the all-terrain Porsche is very close to the lower power of the 911 GT3 RS (from 230,000 euros).

If you want to take the Dakar to the next level conceptually and technically with the public design package shown here (two-color painting in white/blue, roll bar, fire extinguisher, six-point seat belt), an additional 26,061 euros will be. charged. As an option, Porsche offers, among other things, a roof rack with LED light strip, mud flaps and extended underbody protection.

Dakar design with GT3 borrowings and stainless steel panels

In fact, the off-road 911 looks different from the regular road 911. We will come to the technical aspects such as the chassis and tires later and start with the appearance of the Dakar, which is also very functional. The front and rear aprons are reinforced with lower protection plates made of stainless steel, and the manufacturers have also installed air intakes on the front apron and special metal protective grilles so that the cooler behind them is better protected against stone chips.

Active aerial parts have been removed. And Porsche fans will immediately recognize the front hood of the Dakar as a part of the GT3 – the two air vents will reveal a lightweight part made of carbon.

There are also extensions made of strong plastic all around, the sill panels are also protected by stainless steel plates. At the rear, the sports exhaust system framed by lower body protection and a Dakar-specific spoiler made of carbon are very impressive. The red hoods made of forged aluminum are also eye-catching. Also of the rim so far only Dakar wears it. With their five-spoke design, they create a visual link to the classic Fuchs rims of previous 911 generations.

Special chassis and deep tread tires for off-road use

The first thing that catches the eye when it comes to the chassis is the raised body of the 911. Compared to the 911 Carrera, the engineers jumped Dakar by five centimeters. If you turn on the standard built-in lifting function (up to 170 km / h) on all four suspensions, then there is three centimeters more air in the wheelhouse. Overall, the Dakar 911 has a ground clearance of up to 19 cm.

The cornering angle of the Dakar is 16.1 degrees at the front and 18.2 degrees at the rear. The ideal off-road ramp angle is 19 degrees. Who would have thought that these values would be mentioned in the 911?

Pirelli tires with an off-road profile reduce the speed of the Dakar on the pavement

In addition to the chassis, the chassis is also a determining factor in roadworthiness tires for praise. Specially developed Pirelli Scorpion Allterrain Plus tires (245/45 R 19 on the front axle, 295/40 R 20 on the rear axle) are fitted as standard on the Dakar.

With a tread depth of nine millimeters and double layer walls, the Pirellis should be particularly resistant and have good traction on loose ground. Unfortunately, also on asphalt roads, because Porsche says that the deep tires should also have good driving characteristics on the road.

But it doesn’t come without losing performance: the top speed of road tires is limited to 240 km / h – motor-wise, the Dakar with 480 hp can certainly be faster. If standard Pirelli tires are hard for you, you can go back to the special Pirelli P Zero with two layers of carcass. They are available as summer and winter tires.

Lightweight construction and rear axle steering from the 911 GT3

Rear-axle steering and column stabilization are always on the Dakar. The engine mounts from the GT3 help improve stability on loose surfaces by reducing the tendency of the engine to hunt. Also GT3 technology: lighter glazing for the rear windows and a lighter battery reduce the road weight of the 911 by a few kilograms to 1605 kg.

Local and new reduced driving modes for the 911 Dakar

The interior of the Dakar also has a GT atmosphere. The premium carbon bucket seats are as much a part of the Dakar as the rear seats are. In addition, Porsche combines a lot of Racetex with regular seams in “Shadegreen” – or in the case of the Rallye Design bag, appliqués to match the exterior painting and the bar mentioned above.

New to the semi-digital instrument cluster is a rally driving mode, which gives the Dakar all-wheel drive a rear-heavy design, and an off-road mode with higher ground clearance. You can also select the rally launch control that allows the 911 Dakar to accelerate to maximum speed with the wheels sliding on loose surfaces.

Turbo Boxer with 480 hp ensures maximum acceleration

Behind the 911 Dakar is the 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo box engine known from the 911 GTS with 480 hp and 570 Nm of torque. Power goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed PDK, so that the Dakar 911 accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds. As already mentioned, the maximum speed is limited by the tires. The Dakar is completed at a speed of 240 kilometers per hour.