Porsche 911 Dakar: A supercar that can go off-road!

Porsche is all set to premiere an off-road version of its iconic 911 sports car on November 17, in Los Angeles, USA. The two-door off-road sports car is being called the 911 Dakar and Porsche has developed it from the ground up, to take on extreme terrains. The 2022 911 Dakar is a homage to the automaker’s first victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally where a 911 was fitted with an AWD system for the first time. Porsche says that the new 911 Dakar has been tested across 10,000km of extreme off-road terrains during its development.

The world was the 911 Dakar’s training ground:
The 911 Dakar’s suspension was fine tuned at the Château de Lastours test track in southern France. The off-road trail in Weissach in Germany was also used intensively for its development. The purpose built chassis of the 911 Dakar allows for spirited off-road performance, it likes air time and jumps are not a problem, as per Porsche works driver Romain Dumas. The 911 Dakar also handles sweeping drifts easily.
The 911 Dakar was further tested by two-time world champion Walter Rohlr, who put the off-roader through it spaces in Arjeplog, Sweden. He was impressed by the 911 Dakar’s handling on snow and ice as it is all about steering and precision in low-traction situations.

To take on rocky and desert terrains, the 911 Dakar was extensively tested in Dubai and Morocco. It was mercilessly driven up 50-metre dunes in temperatures exceeding 45 degree celsius. This was done repeatedly to test for any structural fatigue and so on. According to Frank Moser, VP model line 911/718, the Dakar had the most advantage in the desert due to its low weight, high ground clearance and rear-mounted performance engine.

Following its world premiere on November 17, the 911 Dakar will have a regional premiere at the 2022 Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai on November 26 and 27. What are your thoughts on the off-roading 911 sports car? Tell us in the comments.