THE EXCLUSIVE 2 500-UNIT PORSCHE 911 DAKAR IS HERE. WE LIKE.
It seems the latest race for automakers is adapting their popular sports cars from tarmac specialists to all road fun cars. We recently previewed this Porsche 911 Dakar when it was in its test phase and covered a lot of the how and why parts of this odd project. In between that preview and this official release of the model as a 2 500-unit special edition we also saw what Lamborghini has been planning by turning a regular Huracán supercar into a gravel road beast in the form of the new Sterrato. This Porsche release gives us hope that the Huracán Sterrato will make it to proper production, and that some other automakers join the new automotive segment that’s just been created. Let’s see if we get a Ferrari version to join the dusty festivities. This Porsche 911 Dakar is pretty cool, with the ability to be 80mm higher than the street version, and covered in livery mimicking the original Rothman’s Racing 911 with the Rallye Design Package, it just may be a Porsche that gets added to our Want List.
As said, there’s great ground clearance, and at that high level setting the 911 Dakar is capable of covering rough ground at up to 170 km/h using a new drive mode added to the onboard computer. The car resumed regular ride height after that speed, so it’s best tried on a road without large obstacles, because that could hurt. Part of the upgrade is the Rallye Launch Control that enables great acceleration on loose surfaces. This version of the 911 features Porsche’s trusted twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre 6-cylinder powerplant that’s tuned to produce 353 kW and 570 Nm of torque, and in this guise it can propel the Dakar to 100 km/h in as little as 3.4-seconds ON GRAVEL, ands has a top speed limited to 240 km/h. It could be faster but the engineers think this is the safe steed for all-terrain tyres. The car has an 8-speed PDK and Porsche all-wheel drive system, rear-axle steering, 911 GT3 engine mounts and PDCC anti-roll stabilisation. Rallye Mode and Offroad Mode help the car deal with tricky terrain. The roof features a 12-volt power outlet for the headlights on the optional roof rack, which also has a 42 kg capacity that can be used for all sorts including the optional roof tent.
Inside the 911 Dakar, there’s a set of full bucket seats, no rear seats, Race-Tex surfaces with decorative stitching in Shade Green, a colour that’s also available as an exclusive metallic exterior paint. For safety the Rallye Sport Package includes a roll-over bar, 6-point seat belts and fire extinguisher. There’s also lightweight glass and a lightweight battery that helps the car only tip the scales at 1 605 kg which is only 10 kg heavier than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS with PDK. It typical Porsche fashion the automaker has also released a limited-number matching Porsche Design Chronograph the 911 Dakar Rallye Design Edition, and to keep with the tough theme, the housing is made of scratch-resistant and light titanium carbide.
Take a look at the YouTube video that features a walkaround of the limited number production version of the versatile 911, as well as an explanation by Frank Moser, President Model Line 911 and 718: The new Porsche 911 Dakar | CWM
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