The Porsche 911 Dakar is one of the more intriguing variants of the famed 911 that the German brand has ever produced and by normal sports car standards, it doesn’t make much logical sense. But is that half of its appeal?
Eager to see what the new car is capable of, Chris Harris jumped behind the wheel of one at a rally cross track in the UK, providing him the opportunity to test it both on the tarmac and on gravel.
The car is based on the 911 Carrera 4 GTS and therefore features a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six pumping out 473 hp and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm). While these figures certainly aren’t earth-shattering, they are enough to send the 911 Dakar to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.2 seconds and through to a limited top speed of 146 mph (236 km/h).
Read: 2023 Porsche Dakar Is The Slowest 911 Since The ’80s, But We Want One So Badly
While initially driving the car on the gravel section of the circuit, Harris notes that like all other 911 models, it has superb chassis balance as well as excellent steering. He also thinks the exhaust sounds much louder from inside the cabin than any other 911 and in usual Harris style, perfectly drifts it around the circuit’s corners. He appears so enamored with the car that he suggests it might even be more fun to drive than 911 GT3 and that’s really saying something.
This special version of the 911 isn’t cheap, however. In fact, prices for a new 911 Dakar start at $223,450, well beyond the $161,100 MSRP of the Porsche 911 GT3 in the U.S. and on par with the 911 GT3 RS and its $223,800 base price. Would we pay that much for a 911 that doesn’t have a screaming naturally-aspirated six-cylinder? Probably not, but what about you?