Porsche 911 Dakar Gains New Martini Livery, Other Historic Rally Designs

The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar originally debuted in Nov 2022 as a proper off-roading machine, laden with rally gears and equipment like its lifted dampers, body cladding and all-terrain tyres. Based upon the current 992 GTS, the 911 Dakar was inspired by the brand’s famed 953 rally car that won the coveted Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984.

Upon its launch, the 911 Dakar comes with a Rallye Design Package option, which grants it a two-tone-finished livery with gold and red stripe, a la the classic Rothmans race livery donned on the original 953 rally car. Fortunately, this won’t be the sole commemorative livery available for this rugged 911, as Porsche has introduced a whole array of new livery designs inspired by the marque’s long history in one of the world’s most gruelling rally events, the East African Safari Rally.

Headlining Porsche’s latest livery offerings for the 911 Dakar is the iconic Martini racing livery inspired by the 1978 911 SC Group 4 cars that competed in the 1978 East African Safari Rally. Dubbed as the Rallye 1978 decal set, this modern iteration of said historic livery features wavy designs hued in orange and light blue, though no actual Martini logo can be found on it. 

Aside from that, Porsche also adds the number 14 decals to the doors – the actual racing number for the South African driving pair of Vic Preston Jr. and John Lyall, who finished second in said rally event.

Next historic livery offered by Porsche is the Rallye 1971 pack, which honours the marque’s first-time participation as a works team in the 1971 East African Safari Rally. The modified 911 S model had to endure more than 5,000 KM journey through some of Africa’s wildest and harshest environments.

This commemorative Rallye 1971 livery boasts similar design to the original 1971 911 S rally car, with simple black decals donning its bonnet, the front wings and the doors. Also added is the number 19 decals, which belonged to the original 911 S rally car driven by Polish drivers Sobieslaw Zasada and Marian Bie, who came fifth in the aforementioned rally race – a remarkable feat for Porsche’s first rodeo in rallying.

The new livery offerings capped off with the Rallye 1974 decal set, which was inspired by Björn Waldegård’s stoic run in the 1974 edition of the East African Safari Rally. Of the 99 cars that entered, only 16 made it to the finish line, which includes the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS that was piloted by Waldegård and his co-driver Hans Thorszelius.

The 911 Carrera 2.7 RS was draped in blue and black stripes that run along the car’s shoulder lines, juxtaposing against the white body paint. This modern iteration retains the Carrera’s iconic double stripes, albeit narrower and augmented by the Porsche logo on the lower part of the doors.

All these commemorative historic decals will be made available for the new Porsche 911 Dakar as add-ons, starting at €4,165 (RM19,604) for both Rallye 1971 and 1974 liveries, while the Martini-inspired Rallye 1978 livery commands a higher price of €5,950 (RM28,006). Customers can buy all three decal sets from the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur or the 1971 and 1974 sets later via Porsche Tequipment at any authorised Porsche Centres.

The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar is powered by the marque’s signature 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six mill that delivers 475 HP and 570 NM, which is channelled through its 8-speed PDK automatic gearbox to all four wheels via Porsche’s all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.

WIth only 2,500 units available worldwide, the 911 Dakar does not come cheap, with US prices starting from $223,450 (RM976,476), excluding add-ons.