The new Porsche 911 Dakar gets its name from a modified 911 that participated in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally. It was the first time a 911 sports car had been equipped with an all-wheel-drive system.
Following Porsche's recent achievement of having driven a pair of off-road prepped Porsche 911s up the highest volcano in the world, they've revealed that they have been testing the 911 off the road, with the help of development engineers, on the proving grounds in Weissach.
The 911 Dakar sports cars have been taken to extremes, where no roads exist, pushing the cars for close to a million miles, including over 6213 miles off the road.
This Porsche was also tested in southern France to see how it handled on typical rally courses, so they could make the necessary adjustments to the suspension. Miles and miles of driving the 911 Dakar over loose surfaces meant this car was being put to the ultimate test.
Dakar Teams Test Their Cars On The Same Route As Porsche
Roman Duman, the Porsche works driver, who also drove the 911 sports cars up the highest volcano, was also given the task of driving these 911 Dakar prototypes at Château de Lastours.
However, with the 911 Dakar having performed brilliantly off the road, he was happy to take on a tough challenge. The 911 Dakar jumped when it had to, and the chassis' robust design and the increased ground clearance made it a cakewalk.
The 911 Dakar even drifted across dirt effortlessly, which took Roman by complete surprise, because he always knew of the 911 as a proper road and track car.
Walter Rohrl Has Tested The Porsche 911 Dakar
Famous for being instrumental in the testing of Porsches, two-time world rally champion, Walter Rohrl, had been given the opportunity to drive the 911 Dakar to places a 911 isn't commonly seen: the testing grounds in Arjeplog, Sweden.
This frozen lake was used as a test bed for Porsche's test drivers to put these cars through their paces, and it's no pure sheet of ice, that's for certain. Due to the low friction coefficient on the snow, the car's traction and steering precision were put to the test, because for Porsche, it's important that the 911 Dakar still feels like a 911 off the road.
Walter Rohrl did mention that it was great fun to drive and that everything works seamlessly. It's going to be hard for 911 Dakar customers to believe what this car is truly capable of, particularly knowing that the 911 has been a road car for generations now.
Porsche 911 Dakar Tested In Rocky And Sandy Deserts
Porsche had to prove to the world that the 911 Dakar could take on fast sand tracks and high dunes. For this, they headed to Dubai and Morocco, where the sports car was ruthlessly driven up steep, 50-meter dunes in soaring temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius over and over again.
Yet again, the Porsche 911 Dakar came out with flying colors, after having done a swell job in the desert. Off-road enthusiasts can make the most of the car in these conditions, thanks to its low weight, high ground clearance, powerful rear-mounted engine, and a short wheelbase.
One couldn't possibly ask for a better combination in a desert. Frank Moser, Vice President, Model Line 911/718, had the privilege of testing these cars in the Sahara desert, and he came away impressed, to say the least.
Porsche 911 Dakar To Be A Perfect All-Round Sports Car
Even Jorg Bergmeister, Porsche's other brand ambassador, got a feel of the car as he was part of the development process, and like all the others, he too was taken aback by the high-riding sports car's driving dynamics on asphalt and lose surfaces.
It's because of the all-terrain tires and such great ground clearance, the Porsche 911 Dakar didn't feel like anything other than a 911 even off the road. Development driver, Lars Kern, drove the car during the final fine-tuning stages, and while he wasn't particularly confident about it, he was left surprised later by its raft of capabilities.
The ABS has been optimized for braking on gravel; in fact, the 911 Dakar showed a very different side of the 911 to all those who've been a part of this iconic sports car for ages. The levels of traction were brilliant.
What To Expect From The Porsche 911 Dakar's Design
The 911 Dakar is based on the new 992-generation 911, so expect it to carry all the design cues of the standard sports car. However, it will have a taller stance, fatter tires, and tougher suspension.
While these 911 Dakar prototypes look like 911s simply sitting on taller suspension, we think Porsche will offer its customers a wide selection of off-road accessories to give it that all-important Dakar look. We don't, however, expect body cladding because it'll give the car a slightly low-rent look.
In a way, the 911 prototypes being driven up a volcano was a sign of something great coming: the birth of Porsche's first production off-road 911. The Lamborghini Sterrato isn't alone anymore.
Source: Porsche