When the Porsche 911 Dakar debuted late last year, the motoring press went mad about it – us included – and for good reason.
Drawing inspiration from the 1980s two-door models that competed in the famous African rally raid bearing the same name, the 911 Dakar is Porsche’s answer to all the coachbuilders, tuners, and retrofitters out there that made a name for themselves by raising the ride height of standard 911s and giving them more power, among other things.
It’s based on the 911 Carrera GTS, so that means it has all-wheel drive, a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six engine making 473 horsepower, and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, all working together to achieve a 0 to 60 mph sprint in a swift 3.2 seconds.
Gallery: 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar: First Drive
However, because it bears the Dakar name, it also comes with more ground clearance than a regular 911 GTS – 2 inches more, to be precise, with an extra 1.2 in available at the push of a button. Moreover, it comes with all-terrain tires as standard, and the suspension has been tuned to be more relaxed so that it can better manage ruts, dunes, and the occasional rocky trail.
With all this in mind, top speed shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind, but – as it happens – the people over at the AutoTopNL YouTube channel put the 911 Dakar’s speed claims to the test on the famous German Autobahn.
The spec sheet says the car is limited to 149 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour), but as the video embedded above shows, the German sports car maker has allowed for some deviation, let’s say.
In other words, when going flat out, the speedometer stopped at 244 kph, which is 151.6 mph. Granted, it’s not much more than the advertised figure, but it’s uncharacteristically German, which was a bit unexpected.
Just 2,500 units of the rally-inspired 911 will be made, each with a starting price of $223,650. Want a fancier color like the Shade Green Metallic that adorns the car in the video? That will be an extra $3,270. A cool Dakar-like livery? Add $28,470 to the bill. A special paint to sample color from Exclusive Manufaktur? No problem: $37,180.
It’s not cheap, but it is very cool, and it’s very likely that – as with all special edition Porsche models from recent years – it will only go up in value over time.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about the video embedded at the top of this page, so after watching it, head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
