Could Porsche’s Love Letter to Rally Racing Be a Legit Daily Driver?

The Porsche 911 Dakar is so over-the-top capable, we can’t help but gaze longingly at it while asking the question, anyway.

By Eric Yang

Published December 24, 2024

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In a marketplace saturated with collector bait, the 2024 Porsche 911 Dakar emerges as a legitimately special vehicle.

Equal parts a celebration of their rally heritage and recognition of an unignorable subculture amongst Porsche enthusiasts, Porsche turned a hobbyist’s dream into a road-going reality.

The Dakar isn’t simply an off-road-ready 911; it’s a love letter to Porsche’s rally racing history, where precision engineering and peak driver skill are tested against untamed wilderness.

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Porsche 911 Dakar

$222,000 at Porsche

Inspired by the iconic 953 and 959 rally machines that conquered the challenging Paris-Dakar race, the 911 Dakar goes beyond conventional sports car boundaries in requisite Porsche fashion.

With a lifted suspension, robust underbody protection, and all-terrain tires, the 911 Dakar begs you to take it where Cayennes and Macans rarely go, all while maintaining quintessential Porsche driving dynamics.

What is Porsche, if not an entire company of obsessed engineers and designers working to solve problems no one knew they had?

It is the best of all worlds, the ultimate usable 911, the kind of car you think about at least once a day. The kind of car you drive just because.

Powered by a 473-horsepower variant of the GTS engine, the 911 Dakar proudly proclaims that performance isn’t confined to smooth tarmac but can now tear across loose surfaces with the same reckless abandon traditionally reserved for purpose-built 4x4s.

Porsche 911 Dakar car speeding through dirt path and blowing dust back

The specially tuned PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) system is key to allowing the Dakar to seamlessly transition from precision cornering to unstructured exploration, a testament to the breadth of Porsche engineers’ grasp on what the chassis can do. After all, what is Porsche, if not an entire company of obsessed engineers and designers working to solve problems no one knew they had?

Limited to just 2,500 units, the 911 Dakar is easily one of the most coveted Porsches in recent history, and the starting prices reflect that. Expect reality at dealers to be far higher. That being said, the Dakar’s importance for offering a singular experience amongst singular experiences justifies the price of admission.