The story behind the 911 Dakar...
Even though the hype around a 911 Dakar is very much alive these days, the story goes back over 40 years. The Paris-Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid that initially raced from - as you guessed it - Paris to Dakar. Only a couple years after the first edition, the event caught Porsche's eye.
Jacky Ickx was a factory racing driver for Porsche with a nickname of "Mister Le Mans". After his F1 career, he went on in Endurance Racing and gained even more international fame with Porsche. As a true racing lover, he participated in the Paris-Dakar Rally 3 times in the early 1980's. After his win in 1983, he convinced Porsche to build a car to compete in the Paris-Dakar.
In these days, Porsche was also participating in the World Rally Championship with a rear wheel driven Porsche 911 SC. In 1982, the FIA introduced Group B regulations, making it possible for manufacturers to build rallycars based on powerful GT cars. Just like many competitors, Porsche started experimenting with 4x4 systems with their 959 concept. While testing in Weissach, Jacky Ickx had a brilliant idea. He wanted to tackle the adventurous Paris-Dakar Rally in an all-wheel drive 911.
Ickx managed to get the cigarette brand Rothmans to agree to sponsor their entry and three all-wheel driven Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 cars were built. Porsche's internal codename of this project car was the 953 and they caught the attention of the entire world by winning their first outing in the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984 with René Metge. This 300 horsepower 911 was soon replaced by the 959 that gave Porsche another Dakar win and 2nd place in 1986.
Almost 40 years after Porsche's first adventure in the African deserts, a unique heritage model was launched. The Porsche 911 Dakar is a tribute to their legendary win of 1984. It's based on a 992 Carrera 4 GTS and only 2.500 Dakar editions are made. It sits 80mm higher above the surface, has all terrain tires and packs a punch with 480 horsepower. It even shares some components with the GT3 to improve performance even more. The Rally & Offroad driving modes adds up to the experience and there is a special Rally Launch Control to make sure you're fast of the line no matter what the surface is.
Today, we are proud to unite all people who share a passion for the 911 Dakar. The Dakar Owners Club is a club that embraces the camaraderie and lust for adventure that goes along with the magical Dakar rally. Thanks for joining us on this journey where memories will be made and history will be writen.
