First Look: 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar

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“The 911 is the only car you can drive from an African safari to Le Mans, then to the theatre and onto the streets of New York.” So said Ferry Porsche of the iconic sports car that for nearly six decades has defined the company his father founded 75 years ago. And today in Los Angeles, Ferry’s vision of that go-anywhere nature of the 911 expanded to include the kind of off-road adventures of its namesake.

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The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar is a limited production vehicle — just 2,500 will be built in the next two years — that comes ready for radical rallies and over-the-top off-road experiences right out of the box. Described as a ‘road car with an off-road heart,’ the Dakar is as much a tribute car as it is a new interpretation of the 911. Porsche took the motorsport world by storm in 1984 when a specially prepared 953 won the gruelling, 14,000-kilometre Paris-to-Dakar race, and followed that up two years later with a victory in a 959 model. Those iconic blue-and-white, Rothmans-sponsored off-roaders became part of Dakar history, and for Porsche launched its production of all-wheel drive 911s for the buying public.

And so, the 2023 and 2024 Dakars will be offered with an optional Rallye Design Package ($32,490) that includes two-tone paint in White/Gentian Blue Metallic, white wheels, you can pick an individual race number from ‘0’ to ‘999,’ and there is a ‘Roughroads’ logo on the doors, the term a registered trademark that Porsche says reflects the concept of the 911 Dakar and its suitability for driving off-road.

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The off-road enhancements don’t stop there. These include red aluminium towing lugs at the front and back, widened wheel wells and sills, stainless steel protection on the front, rear and side sills, stainless steel skid plates, and the side air intakes on the redesigned front end are protected against flying rocks by stainless steel grilles. The roof includes a 12-volt power outlet for the headlights of an optional roof rack, which can hold up to 42 kilograms of rally gear such as fuel and water canisters, folding shovels and traction boards. For the true adventurers, a roof tent is also available.

The cabin also gets some special off-road cred tweaks too. Full bucket seats are standard and there are no rear seats. Also standard are Race-Tex surfaces with Shade Green stitching, which is also exclusively available as a metallic exterior finish for the 911 Dakar.

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As much as all those exterior and interior features make the 911 Dakar a very special 911, it is the mechanical and technical merits. The first thing you notice about the Dakar is its raised ride height. It sits 50 millimetres higher than a Carrera outfitted with sports suspension but can be raised an additional 30 mm with the standard lift system, giving this sports car the ground clearance and ramp angle of your typical SUV. And that lift system can be set for speeds up to 170 km/h, underscoring the serious off-road nature of the 911 Dakar. The entire suspension system and ABS braking system have been optimized for off-road travel.

Weight-saving measures also abound and include a newly developed, fixed lightweight rear spoiler made of CFRP, a CFRP front luggage compartment lid with air outlets ala the 911 GT3, lightweight glass and a lightweight battery. All told, the 911 Dakar tips the scales at just 1,605 kg, just 10 kilos heavier than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS with PDK.

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Speaking of the GTS, the Dakar borrows that supercar’s 3.0-litre, bi-turbo six-cylinder engine and its PDK gearbox to give the all-wheel-drive vehicle performance to match its enhanced chassis. Also standard is rear-axle steering, engine mounts from the 911 GT3, and PDCC anti-roll stabilization. That powerplant supplies up to 473 horsepower and 420 lbs.-ft of torque to give the 911 Dakar a zero to 100 km/h time of just 3.4 seconds. Top speed is limited to 240 km/h due to the bespoke all-terrain tires.

Those specially developed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires (245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear) feature a chunky, 9-mm deep tread pattern. The reinforced sidewalls and the threads consist of two carcass plies, making these special boots very cut-resistant. Pirelli P Zero summer and winter tires are available as an option.

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Where the 911 Dakar leaves its GTS stablemate in the dust is in the drive mode department. In addition to the usual drive modes found in all high-performance 911s, the Dakar gets two more. Rallye mode is designed for loose, uneven surfaces and features rear-focused all-wheel drive with enhanced rear-wheel steering inputs. Select off-road mode and high clearance is activated automatically, and the drivetrain is adjusted for maximum traction on difficult terrain and on sand. Both modes also feature the new Rallye Launch Control, which enables precise and confident acceleration on loose surfaces and allows wheel slippage up to 20 per cent.

According to Porsche, the 911 Dakar has undergone extensive testing in France, Sweden, Morocco and Dubai in the past two years, logging more than 450,000 kilometres, nearly 10,000 of those in extreme off-road situations.

So, does Porsche’s motorsport division have plans on entering the all-new 911 Dakar in an upcoming Paris-to-Dakar race to demonstrate the ultimate proof of concept? Sadly no, however don’t be surprised if one of those 2,500 buyers doesn’t enter their vehicle in the event. With 2024 marking the 60th anniversary of the 911, a third victory in the endurance race for Porsche would be a fine was to celebrate that milestone.

The 2023 Porsche Dakar 911 is expected to arrive at Canadian dealerships in the spring, with a starting price of $247,200.