The 992 911 GT3 RS is probably one of the craziest 911s our generation has ever witnessed, with proper racecar-style aerodynamics with a giant wing at the back that comes with a DRS (Drag Reduction System) and has spent tonnes and tonnes of days inside the wind tunnel, but then Porsche thought that if 911 is the breed that gives people thrills on the city roads and on a race track, why not create a 911 which can go off the road as well?; yeah, Porsche had the Macan and the Cayenne for that, but a 911 that can go off-road is something out of the box. well, not that much out of the box. Because back in 1984 a 953 Gen 911 was heavily reworked with a lift-kit and 4X4 transmission to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally, and the 992 Gen 911 Dakar pays homage to the reworked Dakar 953. The converted 953 Gen 911 Dakar was only built to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally but the 992 Gen Dakar is been produced for the general public (sort of). It will be only limited to 2,500 units.
The 911 Dakar shares the same chassis and underpinnings as the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, which means it is powered by the same 3.0L twin-turbo flat-6, puts out 473hp and 570Nm of peak torque that goes to all 4 wheels via an 8-speed PDK automatic transmission, the top-speed is limited to only 241kmph and 0-100 comes up in 3.4 seconds on the tarmac, apart from the power figures Porsche has raised the suspension by 60mm compared to the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, and it can be raised further by 30mm, they have also re-tuned the suspension for off-roading, added 2 new modes, one being the ‘Rally’ mode, which will send 80% power to the rear wheels for driving in the dunes, snow and mud. And the 2nd one is ‘Off-Road’ mode, where it will transfer power to all 4-wheels according to how tough the terrain is, it runs on bespoke Pirelli Scorpion tyres developed to beat every rough terrain, despite all the off-road upgrades it only weighs 1605kgs, which is only 10kgs more than the Carrera 4 GTS.
Talking about the design, even though it is an off-road sports car, the 911 Dakar looks proportionate from every angle, you get a new front bumper with the towing hook and a proper metal skid plate underneath to avoid pebbles or stones from the underbody of the car, black coloured cladding over the front bumper, wheel arches and side skirts, there are skid plates placed on the side skirts as well, on the standard 911 you get 20″ wheels up front and 21″ at the rear, as an off-road 911 the Dakar gets 19″ wheels on the front and 20″ at the rear, to shed some weight Porsche has used the GT3s thin glass windshields and carbon fibre hood in the 911 Dakar, it also features a fixed carbon fibre rear spoiler as well, and on the rear bumper is also completely new with a rugged design, enhances the overall tough and rugged rear stance of the 911 Dakar.
Well with the tough and rugged exterior, from the inside the 911 Dakar looks exactly like the standard 911 Carrera but has 918 style carbon fibre bucket seats, which also help in a lot of weight saving, Alcantara on the dash and on the steering wheel, carbon fibre on the dash and on the centre console, 911 Dakar badging on the dash, gets all-weather off-road floor-mats, and it all combined with blue stitching on the seats, on the dash, you also get the steering centre line in blue, and it has no rear seats which also saves a lot of weight, and that’s why you can also opt for a proper roll cage as well.
With the 911 Dakar Porsche proved the true potential of the 911 line-up in the history of automobiles, but Porsche is only going to produce 2,500 911 Dakars for the entire world, and it is hard to get your hands on if you want one, and each will gonna cost almost more than the price of the hardcore 911 GT3 RS before options, talking about the competitor of the 911 Dakar, there is only one, the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, the jacked up off-road version of another brilliant Italian supercar, the Huracan. Both the 911 Dakar and the Huracan Sterrato prove that performance cars are not only meant for road and track, they can be built to tackle rough terrains and roads as well.
