![Is the Porsche 911 Dakar a future classic car? Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Porsche 911 Dakar](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2024-02/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Porsche-911-Dakar-01.png?itok=0J6Iq1S8)
Two of the biggest trends in the premium automotive world – the proliferation of SUVs and high-value limited editions – collide here to create one of the most unusual Porsche 911s yet seen.
Inspired by the Rothmans-liveried 953 that won the Paris-Dakar in 1984, it’s the first 911 offered with off-road driving in mind.
A coupé designed to leave the asphalt would seem an oxymoron without the link to rallying, and Porsche does it here without ambiguity by offering this 911 with an optional Dakar-inspired livery.
![The Porsche 911 Dakar has modified bodywork Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Porsche 911 Dakar](/sites/default/files/2024-02/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Porsche-911-Dakar-06.png)
The Porsche 911 Dakar’s rear wing is unique to this model
However, the skid plates and chunky five-spoke wheels of the Porsche 911 Dakar make it a consistent head-turner.
Those wheels aren’t just for show: they wear knobbly all-terrain tyres that combine with the modified suspension to give an extra 50mm of ground clearance – or 80mm via the press of a button (rising from 161mm to 191mm).
Beyond that, and a few tweaks, it is basically a Carrera 4 GTS, which means a 473bhp turbocharged flat-six and all-wheel drive.
![Porsche 911 Dakar future classic car driven off-road Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Porsche 911 Dakar](/sites/default/files/2024-02/Classic-%26-Sports-Car-Porsche-911-Dakar-08.png)
An off-road Porsche 911 raises eyebrows, but its dual-purpose approach makes sense