Porsche 911 Dakar – Here Are 5 Interesting Things About The Slowest 911 On Sale

Porsche has globally revealed the 911 Dakar, which has to be the sports car’s meanest iteration. The off-road spec 911 commemorates the first overall victory by Porsche in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, which also gave birth to the all-wheel drive 911. It’s a fairly exclusive creation with just 2,500 units to be produced worldwide. 

A lot of details and changes have resulted in this remarkable creation, and these are the five most interesting things about the 911 Dakar: 

Exterior And Interior Updates

Porsche has tried its best to make it a mean rally ready racer while maintaining its iconic 911 silhouette and has succeeded too. You can spot several off-road related visual elements including red aluminium towing eyes, widened wheel arches, stainless steel protective bits at the front, back and side, and optional roof rack which can fit fuel and water canisters and several other rallying equipment. That lightweight wing is the same as the one in the 911 GT3.

Inside the cabin, it’s a strict two-seater with bucket seats and six-point seatbelts. The rear seats get replaced by a roll cage as part of the rally oriented build. Its cabin is covered in ‘Shade Green’ theme. 

You can also opt for the Rallye Design package, with its appearance based on the winning vehicle with the iconic Rothmans livery. You get a White/Gentian Blue metallic exterior shade with the liberty to choose an individual race number between 0 to 999 and ‘Roughroads’ inscribed on the doors. 

A Reworked Suspension Setup

The Porsche has made heavy changes to the 911’s suspension to create the Dakar and has offered it enough road clearance that is 50mm more than the Carrera. With the standard lift system, its front and rear can be raised by another 30mm. This ‘High’ level lift setting is applicable up to the speed of 170kmph, exceeding which, the car will return to its normal height. With these changes, Porsche claims the Dakar’s ground clearance and ramp angle can rival conventional SUVs. No more jokes about clearing speed bumps and parking ramps with this Porsche sports car. 

Bigger Tyres

Specially developed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres have been fitted to the 911 Dakar. It gets 19-inch 245/45 ZR tyres at the front and bigger 20-inch 295/40 ZR at the back, which are highly cut resistant. While these are the standard tyres, there’s also the option of Pirelli P Zero summer and winter tyres for primarily driving on the tarmac. 

Engine Specs

The 911 Dakar uses the GTS’s 3-litre biturbo six-cylinder engine with an eight-speed gearbox and Porsche’s all-wheel-drive system. It is rated at 480PS and 570Nm and can sprint from a standstill to 100kmph in 3.4 seconds. Due to the all-terrain tyres, its top-speed has been electronically limited to 240kmph. The traction management system of the AWD to put the power down has been tuned for off-road handling rather unlike the regular 911 that is tuned for handling on tarmac. 

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Loads Of Electronic Off-roading Aids

Besides the mechanical upgrades, there’s a lot of electronics that are working to make it a capable rally racer. It gets rear-axle steering and anti-roll stabilisation for improved cornering abilities. Two new driving modes - Rallye Mode and Off-road Mode - have been added. The former is ideal for loose and uneven surfaces, while the latter automatically enables the high lift setting and is designed for maximum traction on more difficult terrains. The Rallye mode additionally features rear-biassed all-wheel drive which helps in pushing the car ahead. Both of them also get ‘Rallye Launch Control’ which improves loose surface acceleration.