Porsche 911 Dakar Archives - The Weekly Driver

Porsche 911 Dakar honors rich off-road history

Apparently it’s no longer enough for Porsche 911s to dominate on the asphalt. The iconic German automaker recently modified its flagship to scale a volcano and has now unveiled the 911 Dakar. It’s a multi-purpose sports car said to be “equally at home on loose surfaces as it does on country roads.” No automaker is prouder of its heritage than Porsche; the 911 Dakar is a nod to the company’s off-road racing. The 911 Dakar car pays homage to Porsche’s successful line of Paris-Dakar race cars in the 1980s, but wasn’t developed to race off road. Rather, the 2,500 911 Dakars produced are designed for a less intense off-road experience, albeit powerful and expensive. Porsche has based the $223,000 911