√2023 Porsche 911 Dakar revealed, Australian pricing announced

The latest Porsche 911 variant swaps race tracks for rally stages, with increased ground clearance, off-road tyres and a name derived from motorsport.

Porsche is taking its iconic 911 sports car off road from the showroom floor with the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar – due in Australia late next year, priced from just under half a million dollars before on-road costs.

Named after a 911‘s win in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally, the new 911 Dakar adds a range of off-road enhancements to trade smooth race tracks or mountain roads for gravel paths and dirt tracks, and go where no production Porsche sports coupe has before.

Only 2500 examples of the 911 Dakar will be built globally, with an unspecified number allocated to Australia. Deliveries are due to begin in the second half of 2023, priced from $491,400 plus on-road costs.

The 911 Dakar sits 50mm higher than a regular 911 Carrera on sports suspension, with a standard-fit lift system able to raise both ends of the car by a further 30mm.

Porsche doesn’t quote an official ground clearance figure, however with the lift system activated it is estimated to be approximately 190mm to 200mm – more than many road-biased family SUVs, and not far off some true four-wheel-drives (a Toyota Prado quotes 220mm).

The high-lift mode is available at speeds up to 170km/h – at which point the car drops down, as it approaches its 250km/h limited top speed.

Unique 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels are wrapped in specially-designed Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tyres (245/45ZR19 front and 295/40ZR20 rear) with “chunky” tread patterns measuring 9mm deep, and reinforced sidewalls.

Road-oriented summer tyres are available as option, with the same sidewall strengthening.

Two new drive modes have been added: Rallye, said to be “ideal for loose, uneven surfaces” with a rear bias for the all-wheel drive system, and Off-road mode, which activates the highest suspension position automatically for tricky rock and sand terrain.

Both modes activate a new Rallye Launch Control function, claimed to “[enable] impressive acceleration on loose surfaces”.

Rear-wheel steering is standard, along with engine mounts from the race-bred 911 GT3, and active anti-roll bars that keep the car stable in corners.

Powering the 911 Dakar is the core 911 range’s familiar 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine, tuned to match the GTS models with outputs of 353kW and 570Nm.

An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and (naturally) all-wheel drive are standard, and Porsche claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.4 seconds – one tenth slower than an all-wheel-drive 911 GTS coupe on performance road tyres.

Aside from its wheels and tyres, the 911 Dakar can be differentiated from standard 911s by its unique front and rear bumpers, metallic protection plates on the front, side and rear of the car, red front and rear tow hooks, and black wheel-arch flares.

The front ‘bootlid’ is borrowed from the 911 GT3 – with two air ‘nostrils’ and CFRP construction – while the new carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) rear spoiler wears a matte black finish on its upper surface – which bears a resemblance to the ‘whale tail’ spoilers on 1970s Porsche 911s.

A 12-volt power socket is integrated into the roof, designed to power spot lights fitted to an optional Porsche-designed roof rack – capable of supporting up to 42kg worth of “rallying accessories” including fuel, water, folding shovels and traction boards.

A roof tent is also available for the car through Porsche’s ‘Tequipment’ store.

Inside, the 911 Dakar gains standard carbon-fibre bucket seats, a rear-seat delete, Race-Tex faux suede upholstery with Shade Green stitching, lightweight glass, and lightweight battery.

Porsche claims the 911 Dakar weighs 1605kg – or 10kg heavier than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS automatic it’s based on, despite the bulky off-road additions.

Optional is a $54,730 Rallye Design Package, which adds a retro exterior livery inspired by Porsche’s 1984 Paris-Dakar rally winner, with white and Gentian Blue two-tone paint, red and gold stripes, and racing numbers on the doors.

The 1984 car’s iconic livery included sponsorship from tobacco company Rothmans – which Porsche has given a nod to on the production 911 Dakar with ‘Roughroads’ text on the doors.

Also optional will be a Rallye Sport Package, which adds a roll cage, six-point racing harnesses, and a fire extinguisher. 911 Dakar buyers will also be able to order a matching watch, made from titanium carbide.

Standard equipment on Australian-delivered 911 Dakars are the same as overseas models, bar the addition of a tyre repair kit and electric air compressor.

The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar is available to order now, ahead of first Australian deliveries in the second half of next year. Prices start from $491,400 plus on-road costs – about $140,000 more than the Carrera 4 GTS variant it shares its engine and driveline with.

It is believed to be the second-most expensive 911 variant not powered by a version of the standard Carrera’s engine – rather than the 911 Turbo’s motor, or one from a GT3 or GT2.

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