The new 911 Dakar is more than a dirt-shredding, gravel-spitting modified Porsche to impress the masses at the 2022 LA Auto Show where it just debuted. This special variant of the iconic 911 pays tribute to its first overall victory by Porsche in the Paris-Dakar rally back in 1984, where for the first time, the 2-door coupe gained an all-wheel drive system to conquer the unrelenting elements.Â
Unlike this gnarly 608-horsepower Porsche 918 Spyder Off-Road Concept by Rain Prisk, the 911 Dakar is the real deal and will be the first two-door sports car built strictly for off-roading, backed by over 10,000 kms of gruelling off-road testing, and over half a million kms of extreme condition testing around the globe — from The Château de Lastours test track in southern France and testing grounds in Arjeplog, Sweden, to the off-road proving grounds in Weissach and fast sand tracks and high dunes in Dubai and Morocco.Â
Few things that set the 911 Dakar apart includes striking the right balance between a high ground clearance, low overall weight, a shorter wheelbase, all backed by the 473-horsepower coupe’s rear-mounted, 3.0L Biturbo 6-cyclinder engine putting down 420 lb.-ft of torque, paired to Porsche’s quick-shifting PDK transmission.
This beast apparently provides exceptional traction as well, despite its high-riding stance at 6.3-inches and Pirelli all-terrain tires, making it a capable 2-door sports car on both loose surfaces and asphalt, all while hitting 0-60 in just 3.2-seconds (yes, on those off-road tires!).
Add a sweet CFRP hood from the GT3, a roof basket with a 92 pound maximum load and integrated light bar, aluminum tow hooks, flared fender arches, rocker panels, and fixed rear spoiler, this 911 is arguably the ultimate 2-door off-roader we’ve come across. But with only 2,500 911 Dakar units produced globally, you might be better off building your own off-road 911.
