- The Porsche 959 competes in Rally Racing, competing in several Paris-Dakar Rally races.
- Porsche won the 1984 and 1986 Paris-Dakar races with the 959.
- The car shown here finished second in the 1986 race, driven by Jacky Ickx.
The Porsche 959 is an almost mythical machine due to its rarity and performance capabilities both on and off the road. Porsche made road versions of the car from 1986 to 1993, but it was the Dakar Rally version wearing Rothman’s legendary livery that achieved true hero status.
Car number 185 was driven by driver Jacky Ickx and co-driver Claude Brasseur in the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally. The pair finished in second place, behind another Porsche 959. A few years ago, the car was reactivated—and you can catch a glimpse of the process as captured on video.
Instead of a full restoration, the car was given a sympathetic re-commissioning. This means the vehicle has been completely disassembled, the parts checked, and everything that needs to be replaced has been done.
This includes bearings, seals, and some hoses. Otherwise, the 959 is in surprisingly good condition, considering it’s been beaten up and traveled 8,700 miles across the African savannah.
Porsche said the winning car remains untouched from its race victory. It will remain as is. However, performing some light maintenance on the second-place car allowed the world to see and hear the race-ready Porsche 959 in all its glory.
Motor Pickup1: If you were a car-loving kid at the time these cars entered the world, chances are you had a poster of a Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, or Porsche 959 on your wall.
I’m a Porsche 959 guy, and it remains one of the few cars that turns my heart and brain to mush. Watching the restoration process here is a relaxing way to spend the day, so sit back and play.
