Porsche Confirms Dakar Name For Go-Anywhere 911, Launches Nov 16

California is about as far from Dakar in Africa as it’s possible to get on this planet,  but that’s where Porsche will launch its long awaited all-terrain 911 during the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16.

Inspired by, and named after Porsche’s breakthrough 1984 victory at the famous Paris-Dakar rally with a specially modified all-wheel drive 911 Carrera, the 2023 911 Dakar features adjustable height suspension to help it cross uneven ground.

Porsche is staying tight-lipped about the technical spec of the new car for now, telling us only about the grueling off-road tests prototypes have been subjected to in every kind of condition from sand to snow. General Project Manager Achim Lamparter claims the development team has covered more than 500,000 km (311,000 miles), including 10,000 km (6,200 miles) of off road work to fine tune the chassis.

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Some of those miles were covered in Dubai and Morocco where test drivers attacked 164 ft (50 m) dunes in temperatures as high as 113 degrees (45 C), while others were racked up on the frozen lakes of Arjeplog in Sweden. And before signing off the chassis Porsche’s engineers fired their prototypes around the Château de Lastours test track in southern France, where Dakar Rally teams hone their racers on sweeping tracks strewn with rocks and jumps.

“This car is incredibly fun to drive,” enthused Porsche ambassador and former rally champ, Walter Röhrl. “Everything works so precisely and calmly. No Porsche customer will believe all the things you can do with this car before they’ve driven it themselves.”

Development driver Lars Kern is best known for his exploits at the Nürbrurgring, but claims the 911 Dakar soon won him round with its loose-surface performance.

“At first I didn’t have the nerve to push the car to its limits,” the ‘Ring ace said. “But I am very satisfied with the handling on loose surfaces. Even the ABS is optimized for braking on gravel. It’s amazing how much traction the off-road tires deliver. The car is a blast to drive.”