The Porsche 911 Dakar: The most Unique 911 ever made One thing guaranteed with a Porsche 911 is that there will always be a version built to suit a certain need. To cruise down Miami, you’d buy a Targa. For blasting round, the Nürburgring, the GT3 RS has always been the go-to, and for racing from Stuttgart to Monaco in supreme comfort and at mind-boggling speeds, no car is quite as complete as the Turbo S. And then there’s the Dakar. Introduced in 2022, this car was designed to pay tribute to the iconic Paris-Dakar Rally of 1984. In this gruelling race, a modified all-wheel drive 911, called the 953 drove 11,000km across Sand Dunes and Desserts with René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne and ended up winning. It proved Porsche were as much masters off-road as they were on it. Under the skin, the new Dakar borrows a lot from the Carrera GTS. The same 8-speed PDK gearbox and the same 3.0l twin-turbo flat-six engine. It therefore produces a similar 473 horsepower, 420 lb-ft of torque and 0-62mph in a similar 3.4 seconds. However from there on the Dakar differs greatly from any 911 ever made. It sits 50 millimetres above a normal 911 thanks to specially designed Pirelli All-Terrain Scorpion Tyres, stainless steel protection underneath the car, a roof guard and even brand-new rally and off-road settings. The suspension, seats, roll cage and even bumpers are all borrowed from the GT3. What results is a 911 like no other, one that was designed to blast across deserts, snow and even mud tracks at 149mph? Possibly the most unique 911 ever built, and well worth $220,000. Sadly after just 2500 cars, production of the Dakar has stopped. Special Sonderwunsch Treatment for the Final 911 Dakar For the final ever Dakar, Porsche turned to their bespoke Sonderwunsch division, known for specialised customisations. The result was a car that reflects the end of a legend blended with the owner's personal taste. Perhaps the most unique feature is the three-tone hand-crafted paintwork, which combines signal yellow, gentian blue metallic, and the newly developed lamped USA blue. The wheels too are painted in a combination of signal yellow spokes and lamped USA blue accents along the rim edge, creating a cohesive look all around. Inside, signal yellow accents continue throughout the cabin, adding visual contrast against the predominantly black interior. Yellow stitching traces the dashboard, centre console, door and even the “911 Dakar” on the headrests. In addition, LED projectors cast the Sonderwunsch logo onto the ground when the doors open. Display at Porsche Museum: A Last Look at the Final 911 Dakar And if a specialised livery wasn’t enough, this Dakar will be displayed in the Porsche Museum alongside many other greats before heading to its new home. This symbolises this as one of Porsche’s greats alongside the likes of the 550 Spyder, 911 GT1 and Carrera GT. And it certainly is just that. Every generation of 911 has its standout model, for the 996 it was the GT3, for the 997, it was the Sport Classic, for the 991 it was the R. But without a shadow of a doubt, the Dakar holds that crown for the 992. There will never be another car like it and the fact Porsche had to go to their Sonderwunsch division for this Swansong model speaks volumes. It establishes not just one of the most standout 911s but one of the most important cars for Porsche. Source: Porsche
