The Porsche 911 Dakar will be available with historic rally-inspired graphics to suit its off-road potential.
Porsche will offer a range of three unique wraps celebrating its rally adventures of the 1970s. They serve to complement the existing Rallye Design Package, a tribute to the Rothmans livery that the Porsche 953 wore to victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, later seen on the Porsche 959 too. All three are modeled on designs worn by Porsche racers in the East African Safari Rally.
$5,260 will get you the Rallye 1971 wrap , inspired by the requisite year when the East African Safari Rally took place in Kenya. 1971 saw Porsche’s first attempt at the event as a works team, running modified 911 S models with a clean, understated look. The livery consisted of black decals across the hood, front fenders, and doors. As for the tribute livery, it includes the racing number 19, chosen for the top finishing Porsche entry—that of Polish drivers Sobiesław Zasada and Marian Bień. The duo managed to bring their car home in fifth place.
For the same price, you could score yourself the Rallye 1974 wrap instead. That year, the running of the event was divided into three sections, each from 900 to 1,255 miles in length. The extra-long stages had to be completed by the teams in just five days, and only 16 of 99 entrants finished the race.
1974 saw Björn Waldegård, a Swedish rally champion, driving for Porsche, piloting a 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Waldegård led at the end of the second leg by a full 36 minutes, but later lost significant time due to a damaged wishbone, finishing second overall. The wrap mimicks the design on Waldegård’s car, which wore blue stripes hugging the shoulderline of the car.
The final wrap, Rallye 1978, steps up in price to $7,510. That year saw another Waldegård attempt at the East African Safari Rally. Despite running a hard-charging race, multiple part failures condemned Waldegård to finish in a disappointing fourth place.
Meanwhile, fellow Porsche competitors Vic Preston Jr. and John Lyall managed to clinch second in the other works team 911 SC Group 4. The cars wore a Martini Racing livery, which has been recreated faithfully in the Rallye 1978 wrap. The wrap bears the number 14, as per the Preston Jr./Lyall entry.
Most 911 Dakars that hit the road probably won’t be outright race cars. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to skin them in some sweet throwback graphics. Those eager to bedeck their new 911 Dakar with some rally history need only contact Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur to order the wraps. The Rallye 1971 and 1974 sets will also be later available for order via Porsche Tequipment at authorized dealers.
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com