Porsche is presenting the 911 Dakar, an off-road sports car, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The limited-edition special model commemorates Porsche's first overall victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally.
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche
The new Porsche 911 Dakar adopts the CFRP front hood from the 911 GT3 and is equipped with off-road details such as recovery eyelets, wheel arch extensions and protective elements at the front and rear. At the rear is a newly developed lightweight rear spoiler made of CFRP. The robust Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires offer 9 mm tread and treads made of two carcass plies. They are also designed to provide sports car-like dynamics on asphalt. On the roof there is an optional basket for storing rally-typical accessories and a 12-V power connection for the auxiliary headlights.
The special model can be further enhanced with the rally design package and two-tone paint in white/gentian blue metallic, rally stripes in red and gold and individual start number. In the interior, full bucket seats and Racetex trim with decorative stitching in shadegreen are standard, while the Rally Sport package with roll bar, six-point seat belts and fire extinguisher is available as an option.
Porsche 911 Dakar with rally driving modes
The 1605 kg 911 Dakar is powered by the 480 PS (353 kW) six-cylinder biturbo gasoline engine. The maximum torque of 570 Nm is sent to Porsche’s all-wheel drive via the eight-speed PDK. Rear-axle steering, engine mounts from the 911 GT3 and PDCC roll stabilization are also standard. Two new driving modes are available, Rally and Offroad, which feature Rally Launch Control. The 911 Dakar sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 s and, due to the all-terrain tires, is limited at 240 km/h.
The suspension is 50 mm higher than on a 911 Carrera with sports suspension. The standard lift system can raise the front and rear of the car by a further 30 mm. The “high level” setting is available up to a speed of 170 km/h and is thus intended to provide ground clearance and ramp angles on a par with an SUV in a sports car. The Porsche 911 Dakar is limited to 2500 units.