- Porsche 911 Dakar production has ended after a 2,500-car run
- The final 911 Dakar has three-tone paint applied by hand
- More rugged 911s are possible in the future
The 2,500-car production run for the 911 Dakar has reached its end, with the final example featuring a bespoke livery cooked up by Sonderwunsch, Porsche’s personalization department.
The 911 Dakar is a high-riding 911 designed to be fast no matter the terrain. It arrived for the 2023 model year, and due to its limited-edition status, was one of the most expensive models in the 911 lineup with a starting price of $223,450, including shipping.
The Sonderwunsch version, bound for a customer in Italy, likely cost a lot more than that. It features many unique details including a three-tone paint finish applied in a way that echoes the look of the livery on the Rothmans 911 that won the 1984 Dakar Rally, albeit with yellow replacing the original white.
The yellow and dark blue sections are separated by a lighter blue color that’s unique to the car. It’s called Lampedusablue, after the Italian island in the Mediterranean, and also features as accents on the wheels and in the headlights.
Porsche 911 Dakar Sonderwunsch
The livery was applied entirely by hand, with the Sonderwunsch team working closely with the client.
No changes were made to the mechanicals of the car. For the 911 Dakar, Porsche added a 2.0-inch lift kit over the base 911 Carrera, plus a hydraulic lift system that can raise the ride height by an additional 1.2 inches. A fixed rear spoiler, flared wheel arches, and all-terrain tires further accentuate the rugged look, while peak power of 473 hp is provided by the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-6 borrowed from the 911 Carrera 4 GTS.
Porsche hasn’t said whether there will be a repeat of the 911 Dakar, though the automaker in the past has turned special-edition models into permanent fixtures of the 911 lineup, and the same might be true for the 911 Dakar. In a 2022 interview, Porsche boss Oliver Blume said off-road-focused 911s could be offered in future 911 lineups, similar to how Porsche offers track-focused GT-badged examples today.