Porsche will unveil the 911 Dakar at the LA Auto Show on the 17th at 12 PM (7 PM local time on the 16th).
The 911 Dakar is the first two-door sports car to boast exceptional off-road capabilities, inspired by Porsche’s history of overall victory in the Paris-Dakar rally. In 1984, Porsche won the race with the first all-wheel-drive system equipped Porsche 911.
General project manager Achim Lempfer and the development engineers did not limit the 911 Dakar’s testing bed to the off-road test tracks in Bjaik, Germany.
They tested the vehicle over more than 1,000 kilometers of off-road terrain and across extreme environments worldwide, totaling over 500,000 kilometers of vehicle testing. They assessed handling and adjusted the suspension on a typical rally course at the Chateau de la Stre track in southern France. Additionally, they pushed the 911 Dakar to its limits on several kilometers of unpaved roads.
Porsche Works Driver Romain Dumas stated, “Initially, I was surprised that we had to test the car at the Chateau de la Stre among many locations, but experiencing the off-road performance of the 911 Dakar quickly turned that surprise into admiration.” He added, “Thanks to the robust design and increased ground clearance, the chassis endured all drift maneuvers, including jumps. While there was no doubt about the 911’s on-road performance, I was impressed by its exceptional capabilities off-road.”
Walter Röhrl, two-time World Rally Champion, tested the car in the vast settings of Arjeplog, Sweden. The thick ice of the frozen lake is composed of about 90% compacted surface, providing an ideal environment compared to actual ice. With a low coefficient of friction on snow, traction and steering precision were crucial, requiring accurate feedback from the vehicle even off-road.
Röhrl mentioned, “It was unbelievably enjoyable to drive because everything worked perfectly, and I wouldn’t have grasped the vehicle’s true capabilities until I drove it myself.”
The Porsche 911 Dakar also proved its performance over sand and high dunes. Drivers pushed the vehicle to extremes in Dubai and Morocco in temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius, repeatedly tackling steep 50-meter sand hills. Frank Moser, Vice President of the 911/718 model line, stated, “The 911 Dakar excelled in the desert, delivering an exhilarating driving experience through a combination of lightweight design, high ground clearance, a powerful rear engine, and a short wheelbase.”
Porsche brand ambassador York Bergmeister tested the vehicle as part of its development, noting that the 911 Dakar provides outstanding driving dynamics on both unpaved roads and asphalt.
Bergmeister shared, “I didn’t expect a vehicle with high ground clearance and all-terrain tires to still feel like a 911 on asphalt.” Development driver Lars Kern expressed satisfaction during final vehicle fine-tuning: “At first, I didn’t have the guts to push the vehicle to its limits, but I was immediately impressed with the handling on unpaved roads, and thanks to the ABS, braking on gravel was excellent, as was the traction from the off-road tires.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr