A new YouTube video from Porsche lays out the delicate task of restoring one of the iconic Porsche Dakar 959 racers that scored big results in the 1986 event. But the effort isn’t about returning this 959 to new condition. Instead, the process involves maintaining the car’s post-race appearance while ensuring the mechanicals are in peak condition.

“We want to keep the original condition and only lightly overhaul the car while eliminating any technical flaws,” says Kuno Werner, head of Porsche’s Museum Workshop. This initial video explores the early steps Werner and his team take to preserve this Porsche 959. Additional episodes will walk viewers through the entire effort.

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Porsche 959 Dakar: A Historically Significant Vehicle

Porsche’s effort to maintain the legacy of this historic racer is meaningful. Not only does the Porsche 959 Dakar car have major rally credentials, but it served as a prototype for one of the brand’s most significant production vehicles (a homologation requirement).

To have a chance of winning the 1986 Paris Dakar Rally, the company employed creative weight reduction techniques, including punching holes in the brake discs and making the body, doors, and hood out of Kevlar. Power came from a highly modified 2.8-liter 6-cylinder engine with twin turbos, giving the 959 Dakar a 130 mph top speed.

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Who Won With The Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar Car?

The #185 Porsche 959 Dakar Racer after some of the body panels have been removed
Via YouTube/Porsche

While Porsche won the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally (now referred to as the Dakar Rally), it faced a humiliating defeat the following year as all three entrants got knocked out of the race. So, the “volks” in Stuttgart attacked the 1986 competition with a vengeance.

The automaker specially outfitted multiple 959s for the task. #186, piloted by René Metge and his co-driver Dominique Lemoyne, crossed the finish line first in the 8,700-mile adventure. Meanwhile, #185 took second place at the hands of Jacky Ickx and co-driver Claude Brasseur. A third 959 got relegated to a support vehicle following Porsche’s G-Wagon and MAN truck becoming disabled. Ickx’s 959 is the one getting restored.

How Much Is A Porsche 959 Worth Today?

A Porsche 959 in gray
Via netcarshow.com

Initially selling for $225,000 (about $609,000 after inflation) at its 1986 debut, the Porsche 959 has steadily risen in value in the aftermarket. As late as 2021, examples sold in the $1 million to $1.5 million range. But, as with everything else in the crazy car market of 2022, prices increased considerably.

A review of Bring A Trailer auctions reveals that a 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort sold in February 2022 for $2,120,000. However, a similar car (with more miles) failed to sell for just over $2 million in August of 2022.

Sources: YouTube/Porsche, porsche.com, hagerty.com, bls.gov