The new Porsche 911 Dakar is just as comfortable off-road as it is on the highway

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche is celebrating a world premiere with the new Porsche 911 Dakar. This exclusive model will have limited availability- only 2,500 examples will be sold.

Porsche 911 Dakar evokes the first overall victory by Porsche in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rallye. The 911 Dakar features a newly developed, fixed lightweight rear spoiler made of CFRP and the front luggage compartment lid with striking air outlets taken from the 911 GT3. There are also standard off-road details such as the red aluminium towing lugs at the front and back, the widened wheel wells and sills and the stainless steel protective elements on the front, rear and side sills. The side air intakes on the redesigned front end are also protected against flying rocks by stainless steel grilles.

The roof of the Porsche 911 Dakar features a visible 12-volt power outlet for the headlights of the optional roof rack. With a capacity of 42 kilograms, the rack can accommodate rallying equipment such as fuel and water canisters, folding shovels and traction boards without any problems. A roof tent is also available for the 911 Dakar.

Another striking detail of the Porsche 911 Dakar is its ground clearance, which is 50 millimetres higher than that of a 911 Carrera with sports suspension. And the standard lift system can raise the front and rear ends an additional 30 millimetres. Its ground clearance and ramp angle rival those of conventional SUVs. The lift system is not only used to slowly cross obstacles, but is an integral part of the retuned chassis. The 'high level' setting is available for ambitious off-road adventures at speeds of up to 170 km/h. Above that speed, the car automatically lowers back down to its normal level.

Complementing the car's sporty off-road attributes are specially developed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres (sized 245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear). The chunky tread pattern is nine millimetres deep and the reinforced sidewalls and the threads consist of two carcass plies. All this makes the tyres of the Porsche 911 Dakar ideal even for challenging terrain and they are highly cut-resistant. Pirelli P Zero summer and winter tyres are available as an option, also with two carcass plies. But the all-terrain tyres come as standard and offer sports car dynamics on the road as well.

The 911 Dakar features standard full bucket seats and the omission of the rear seats. Another feature of the Dakar interior is the standard Race-Tex surfaces with decorative stitching in Shade Green, which is also exclusively available as a metallic exterior finish for the 911 Dakar. The Rallye Sport Package with roll-over bar, six-point seat belts and fire extinguisher is optional.

Lightweight glass and a lightweight battery reduce its weight further, enabling the Porsche 911 Dakar to weigh in at just 1,605 kg - a mere 10 kg heavier than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS with PDK.

The Porsche 911 Dakar comes with a 3.0-litre biturbo six-cylinder engine that delivers 480 PS (353 kW) of power and 570 Newton metres of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds, but its top speed is limited to 240 km/h due to the all-terrain tyres it uses. As standard, the engine comes with an eight-speed PDK and all-wheel drive. The standard equipment also includes rear-axle steering, the engine mounts from the 911 GT3, and PDCC anti-roll stabilisation.

The new Porsche 911 Dakar is now available to order at a price of 222,020 euros. The Rallye Design Package costs 26,061 euros.

Source: Porsche