The Porsche 911 Dakar – previously thought to be called the Safari – seems to be getting closer to production after nearly two years of testing. The latest prototype made another appearance at the Nürburgring, this time with a nice set of Fuchs-style wheels that looks quite fitting to its raised stance.
An adventurous variant of the 992 with a higher ground clearance has been heavily rumored since the first camouflaged prototypes appeared back in 2020. At first, prototypes used the body from a 911 Turbo with a few modifications, however starting from early 2022, Porsche fitted a different kind of camouflage, presumably to hide the design of the model-specific bodykit.
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What’s new this time is the black-finished five-spoke wheels which are inspired by the classic Fuchs design. In the most off-road capable 911, they are shod in taller and beefier tires, also revealing ventilated brakes with red calipers.
Besides the new shoes, the prototype comes with fender extensions to cover the wider tracks, different intakes on the front bumper, a bonnet scoop, a fixed rear wing, and a skid-like diffuser at the back with two large oval-shaped tailpipes. We also presume it will inherit the changes coming in the facelifted 911, including the revamped digital cockpit and updated LED graphics on the lighting units.
This is not the first time the raised 911 visits the ‘Ring for testing, with earlier sightings in April 2021 and July 2021. After all, the famous German track in Nordschleife plays an important role in the development of all production and racing models coming from Porsche.
We guess that the 911 Dakar will have difficulty keeping up with the track-focused GT3 or even the Turbo S all-rounder at the Nürburgring, but there is a high chance it won’t be the slowest 911 in terms of lap times. This will happen thanks to the powerful turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six powertrain which is rumored to be sourced from the 443 hp (331 kW / 450 PS) Carrera S, the 473 hp (353 kW / 480 PS) GTS, or even the 572 hp (427 kW / 580 PS) Turbo.
In any case, we expect the 911 Dakar to be unveiled this year, with the facelifted 911 range following in 2023.
