The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar was first revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November of last year. Back then, it stole the show sporting a two-tone white and blue metallic paint scheme, a callback to Porsche’s 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally win. Steeped in history, Porsche will offer themes that reprise that as well as the 1971, 1974, and 1978 East African Safari Rally entrants.
The Rallye 1971 decal set remembers the fifth-place finish for the Polish 911 team of Sobiesław Zasada and Marian Bień. The set features black accents on the hood and part of the fenders over a white body, the original car’s rally plate replaced by a ‘Weissach-Dakar-Rallye’ decal on the hood, Shell and Bilstein sponsor decals on both sides, and the number 19 on the doors. This decal set carries a $5,260 price tag.
The Rallye 1974 decal set honors Björn Waldegård’s second-place finish due to a damaged wishbone in the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. The decals of the main sponsor were the black and blue stripes that traced the sides of the otherwise white car. The current wrap features narrower stripes with the number 19, the ‘Weissach-Dakar-Rallye’ decal, Shell logos, and the Porsche logo on the lower edges of the doors. The 1974 decal set comes in at $5,260.
Finally, the Rally 1978 decal set reprises Björn Waldegård’s fourth-place finish in a 911 SC. The Martini Racing Team’s instantly recognizable decals consisted of wave-shaped surfaces in orange and light and navy blue. Reinterpreted, the decal set loses the sponsor decals and adds the competition number 14 on the doors belonging to second-place finisher Vic Preston Jr. The Rally 1978 decal set goes for $7,510.
Powering the 911 Dakar that will offer the wraps is a twin-turbocharged 473 hp 3.0-liter flat-six engine channeled through an eight-speed PDK gearbox. It can go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 150 mph. Only 2,500 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar production units will be built and will go on sale this spring with a $223,450 starting price, including the destination charge.
Customers can order all three wraps through Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, while the 1971 and 1974 sets will also be made available later through authorized Porsche dealerships.
