OFFICIAL: Porsche 911 Dakar is a £173,000 off-road Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 Dakar is officially revealed as an off-road-focused 911 GTS with 473bhp and costing £173,000. Just 2,500 are being built.

An off-road Porsche 911 has been in the offing for a long time, but last week Porsche finally revealed the first official look at what we now know is the Porsche 911 Dakar. And here it is, officially revealed and ready for some off-road fun. Well, if you’ve got a spare £173,000 and you’re quick – just 2,500 are being built.

Inspired by Porsche’s rally past – most notably the Dakar wins in 1984 and 1986 – the 911 Dakar is effectively an off-rad capable 911 GTS with 473bhp and 420lb/ft of torque from its twin-turbo flat-six, mated to an eight-speed PDK ‘box sending power to all four wheels.

The Dakar sits 50mm higher than a regular 911, and an additional 30mm if you need it at speeds up to 106mph, with off-road tyres on Fuchs-like alloys which are still Z-rated for on-road ability too.

The Dakar also comes with rear-wheel steering, two new driving modes – Rally for gravel track fun and Off-Road for the rest of the off-road stuff – and a Rally Launch Control function too.

As you’d expect, the Dakar comes with an extensively modified body with wider wheel arches, steel protective plates and a carbon fibre-reinforced tailgate spoiler, with a bespoke Shade Green paint job on offer as well as a Rally Design Pack with the Dakar winner’s Rothams Liver y costing £18k.

To keep weight in check, Porsche has dumped the back seats in the Dakar and fitted lighter glass and battery and managed, despite the off-road focus, to retain the 911 GTS performance with 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds.

If you get your skates on and sign up for the 911 Dakar, your new Porsche should arrive in spring 2023.