I’ve been writing about off-road Porsches since 2003. That’s when my review of the new Cayenne models appeared in The New York Times.
My first reaction to an SUV from Stuttgart was that it was like watching someone hiking the Yosemite Falls Trail in an Armani suit and Gucci loafers. However, Porsche management was more prescient than I was. They trusted that the brand’s cachet would enhance rather than detract from an off-road vehicle — and they have been proven correct.
Porsche blazed a trail into this market segment for other exotic marques. Ferrari, Maserati and even Rolls-Royce would follow it into the mud in the coming decades. Porsche was also correctly confident that its engineers could build an SUV that reflected its core mission: building high-performance vehicles.
The same could be said of its audacious entry in the 4-door sports sedan segment, the Panamera, which I reviewed in 2010. I was impressed again, but at the end of the day I mentioned that instead of a Porsche with seating for five, I would rather have a 911 and a minivan.
Yet because of bold moves like this, Porsche routinely ranks as the most profitable automobile company per unit in the world.
31 flavors
With all of this in mind, I am still perplexed by the new Porsche 911 Dakar. Announced just over a year ago, with a starting MSRP around $225k, all 2,500 of them immediately sold out. For much of last year, they seemed to be the flavor of the month on social media. One sold on Bring a Trailer in October 2023 for $410k, which was $175,400 over its window sticker.
I am watching the market for these cars, as well as the large number of suddenly popular “rally-modified” 911s that have popped up in online auctions, with some fascination.
If you aren’t paying attention to ever-changing Porsche trends, from backdates to updates to Outlaws, you might wonder if there could be anything more ridiculous-looking than a 911 with giant headlights on the hood, a raised suspension and a roof rack.
Unquestionably, Porsche has earned the “right” to build this off-road sports car, which harkens back to the 959 that was victorious in the 8,700-mile Paris-Dakar Rally in 1986. A Works 959 that raced in 1985 sold at auction in 2018 for $5.9m (SCM# 6882451), still the highest price ever paid for any 959.
What vexes me is what makes these new 911s so incredibly desirable to buyers.
Functional form
I still believe that form follows function in a vehicle. The ultimate in failed compromises is the Amphicar, universally regarded as not a very good boat, and not a very good car either.
I am sure that the 911 Dakar is an extremely competent vehicle. I am equally sure that it is a clever marketing ploy to create another 911 variant that sells for a large premium above MSRP.
But let’s not judge too harshly. Our car world is full of badge-and-sticker specials, from Alfa Niki Lauda Spiders to special-edition Toyota Camrys. Adding a little visual sizzle to our cars with upgraded wheels, suspension mods, and wings and blings is common.
If I were going to allocate my own car funds, however, I would rather have a pure 911 sports car for driving on Angeles Crest Highway, and a real off-roader — say, a Ford Bronco Raptor — for tackling Glamis and the Rubicon Trail.
I can’t imagine taking a $225k 911 Dakar into the dirt, where it could get scratched and dented.
So where, exactly, will you show off its prowess? Beachfront Cars & Coffee?
Or does this question really even matter? You can’t display all the capabilities of a 911 Turbo anywhere but a track, but nobody, least of all me, would criticize someone for owning one.
Porsche for the win
What sets the 911 Dakar apart is that, according to reviews, it is a pretty darn good dune buggy.
I understand the allure of having a world-class sports car comfortable on the Nürburgring and the same car crossing the desert sands of Morocco at triple-digit speeds. That it looks the part is far more important to most buyers than whether it actually plays the role.
We are long past the era in which manufacturers actually race the cars they sell to the public. New-car homages to years-ago victories didn’t start with the 2005 Ford GT, but this model ranks as the most definitive example. It has been a collector-car auction mainstay its whole life, the rare “instant collectible” that has proven to be a shrewd investment.
Perhaps the 911 Dakar will succeed similarly. I would not be surprised. Only Porsche could get away with building a sports car that is so ridiculous in concept but excellent all the same. ♥