How We Determined It: The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar

Porsche is cashing in on its illustrious rally history with the new 2023 911 Dakar. The 911’s newest variant, unveiled this week, honors the German automaker’s 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally victory with a modified 911 called the 953. The car was later transformed into the iconic 959, which triumphed on its 1986 run.

While the 2023 911 Dakar won’t be as competitive as its predecessor, it does feature a number of meaningful upgrades designed to help it tackle rough terrain, with 2.0 inches of suspension lift, thick Pirelli Scorpion All-Terrain Plus tires and stainless steel. skid plate. Porsche has only built 2,500 examples, and with a starting price of $223,450, the go-anywhere 911 will likely be quick for collectors to pick up, if it doesn’t already sell out already. Permanent, Porsche added it to its configuratorallowing us to enter an imaginary world and design our dream 911 rally. Here’s what our editors came up with:

Porsche 911 Dakar Jack Fitzgerald for $246,500

The first time I saw a 911 safari, I was 15 years old and walking through the pit lane on Road America. I can’t wrap my head around what I saw. Is the Porsche lifted? Are there additional headlights and a roof rack? I know it’s beautiful, and hope that whoever owns it actually takes advantage of their modification. I keep that car in mind as I wade through Porsche’s tricky configurator for the 911 Dakar. For my paint options, I chose the $12,830 Paint to Taste British Racing Green, complete with color-matched wheels. I spent $660 to match my exterior mirror paint base, and another $370 for the Dakar puddle light, as well as $2700 for the PPF of the entire front end. Since I don’t dig the Christmas vibes that the red brake calipers give off on a green body, I paid $900 to paint them black. I added a Surround View camera, which should be equally helpful in tight parking lots as well as navigating off-road. My only options for the interior were a $3980 Burmester sound system so I could blast the Proclaimer at high quality, as well as a $180 fire extinguisher for safety. My additional equipment came to $23,050 in the end. Considering the number and price of options available, I’m happy with it. It’s a shame that Porsche doesn’t offer factory-installed roof racks and rally headlights. If only I had picked better Powerball numbers. . . —Jack Fitzgerald

Caleb Miller $254,080 Porsche 911 Dakar

Given the 911 Dakar’s high starting price, I knew I had to splurge on Porsche’s Paint to Sample program, because what’s $12,830 when you’ve already spent over 200k? I settled for the Viola Purple Metallic, along with color-matched wheels and side mirrors ($660). The standard red brake calipers clashed with the paint job, so I spent $900 to paint them black and an additional $430 for the exhaust silver. I wrapped the entire front end in protective film ($2700) to avoid chipping of paint from a semi-truck kicking up gravel, and my $1430 Surround View camera system is a must to protect my Dakar from unwanted scratches. I also dropped $370 for the puddle lights and $1350 for the custom-lit aluminum door sills—I had the driver’s side sills feature the silhouette of the 911 while the passenger sill read “Porsche,” with the white taillights—because I love that kind of silly stuff. .

Inside, I traded the bucket seats for 18-way adjustable memory sport seats, because I value comfort and, let’s be honest, most of the car’s life will be spent around the suburbs running errands. I threw in heated seats and heated steering wheel, a no-cost option, to help me survive the frigid Michigan winters. I also spent $1120 on the Porsche Design Subsecond, an analog dashboard mounted watch, because, well, it looks really cool. Then, to add a little flavor to the interior, I settled on a white tachometer ($420) and had the center console cover embossed with the Porsche emblem ($340). I also have the air vents finished in silver painted leather ($1800) along with door panels ($1910) and sun visors (somehow a no-cost option) so everything I touch feels soft and supple. Since I didn’t go for the carbon fiber accents on the outside, I swapped out the interior dash trim for matte carbon fiber ($390) and added a $3980 Burmester surround sound system. All in all, the $30,630 option brought my 911 Dakar to a total of $254,080—not as expensive. which is what I expected, but still an insane amount of money for this 911 special. —Caleb Miller

Porsche 911 Dakar Austin Irwin for $256,080

You see, getting a 911 Dakar without the Rallye Design package is like cooking a turkey without stuffing. Skip the best part and it’s just another bird. While my colleagues’ taste in paint lands on both sides of the KitchenAid mixer and McDonald’s Grimace paint palette, I didn’t pass up the opportunity for white with Gentian Blue Metallic in the 992. Porsche is paying homage to those who pay homage to Paris–Dakar Carrera with Rallye Design interior stitched in Shark Blue. I’m a big fan of the mid-pattern on the racing bucket seats, but I like the comfort of the optional, adjustable sport seats more. I have left the wheels, brake calipers and exhaust pipe painted black as normal use will quickly return them to that color. At no extra cost, the interior gets heated seats and a heated GT Sport leather steering wheel. For no particular reason, I’ve added an optional fire extinguisher ($180). I also added the Burmester sound system ($3,980) to hear songs like “Nights over Egypt” by Jones Girls and “Bidibodi Bidibu” by Bubbles from this intercontinental mashup. Equipment to be added later: proper Rothmans vinyl over the Roughroads placeholder and front-mounted LED light pod for the nose. The Porsche hard shell roof top tent, available later this year, is also a must, but doesn’t appear to be roof rack compatible. A tent would have been nice to have when some Natty Light-fueled Bronco challenged me with “That thing can’t go through here.” If a $256,080 limited-edition 911 crashes in the woods, it makes a sound. Laughter surrounded by crying, I imagine. —Austin Irwin