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Lift Rally right from the factory


Porsche 911 Dakar 2023 running in the desert next to a 1984 Carrera 4WD race car.

You have to admit that it’s a special trash can.
image: porsche

Everyone knows that Porsche has dedicated its entire history to 911 (about 60 years at this point) racing rear-engined sports cars. What less people know is that much of that race took place off-road. In fact, in 1984, Porsche was 911 Carreraadd four-wheel drive, and take that car, nicknamed 953, to first place in the tough Paris-Dakar race. Why am I talking about a race that happened 38 years ago? Because Porsche — always a company based on its heritage — decided to bring Dakar handling to the Current 992 generation 911. The result: The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar, and it was absolutely incredible.

A blue-gray 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar with a roof rack parked in front of a black background.

image: porsche

Porsche 911 Dakar 2023 equipped with a magnetic engine Carrera GTSalthough there are a few modifications for off-road driving. These modifications included the removal of the central intercooler (to improve ground clearance), the replacement with a magnetic side cooler. the 911 Turbo. This, along with a new airbox designed to keep dirt out, means that the 911 Dakar reaches 473 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain is paired exclusively with an eight-speed PDK automatic transmission and a magnetic four-wheel drive system. Carrera 4.

Of course, as you might expect, it’s the suspension setup where things get really interesting. The dual-mode height-adjustable suspension provides a ground clearance of 6.3 inches in standard mode, which rises to a truly impressive 7.5 inches in high mode. Interestingly, the height adjustment for the Dakar doesn’t come from the air suspension. Instead, Porsche took the same technology they used for the front lift system and applied it to all four corners. Hope it ends Stronger than air, at least.

Dakar’s The height offers some ground clearance (for a sports car), including a 16.1-degree approach angle and a 19-degree overshoot in high mode. (We asked Porsche about departure angle, which is important and perhaps a bit difficult to do on a rear-engined sports car, but company representatives don’t have exact numbers on hand.)

Porsche has really researched the car’s electronics package, because the kind of launch, traction and stability control you want in a street car is very different from what you’d expect. want on dirt or gravel roads. For example, Porsche’s excellent launch control system from a normal 911 has been tweaked to allow about 20% more wheel rotation. And the car is set up to allow for lots of big, dirty slides in Rallye mode. Off-Road mode is more locked, for slow going on rough terrain.

Of course, without the real off-road tires, this would just be an unusually tall, black plastic-wrapped 911. . Tires have a rather large tread pattern, but think all-terrain rather than mud or gravel, but don’t think they’re only good on dirt. Porsche representatives claim that the 911 Dakar overtook the Nordschliefe in the same way that the 996 GT3 did. That was a few generations ago, but that was also on some pretty aggressive tyres.

A 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar parked in front of a windmill and a gas station.

image: porsche

The rest of the car bears many similarities to the classic 953 racing car, including the optional Rallye package that covers the car in an old coat of paint, showing off Rothman sponsorship. The colors are the same, but the doors now read “Roughroads” — a play on words and Porsche’s way of avoiding advertising a defunct British brand of tobacco on its new sports car. (It’s understandable that Porsche doesn’t want to advertise smoking anything other than tires and German sausage.) The Rallye package also comes with a killer roof basket and integrated light bar. The 911 Dakar also has its own bespoke rear spoiler, which looks like the perfect place to lay out a track map and yell at your co-driver for misleading you.

Porsche has decided that the 911 Dakar is too cool for regular mass production, and therefore, it will receive a limited run of just 2,500 units. The limited nature is a bit confusing, but with a starting price of $223,450 including a $1,450 destination fee, the odds are you’ll have a bigger problem than finding an allotment. For those of you who play at home, that price is only slightly lower than GT3 RS is also terribly expensive at $225,250 and somehow the 911 Sport Classic is even more expensive at $273,750.

Look for this Dakar beauty on the roads in the spring of 2023.

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