The Naughtiest 911 Ever: A Review of the Porsche 911 Dakar

As I sat down to write this review, I couldn't help but think that I had made a mistake. I love a 9911, and I've just bought another one - a Turbo S, no less. But wait, what's this? A new 911 Dakar has just arrived on the scene, and it's got me rethinking my decision. This car is unique in many ways, but one thing is certain: it's not your average 911.

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I first saw the new 911 Dakar. I thought back to the original Dakar Rally in 1984, where a Porsche 911 was converted into an off-road machine. But I was also worried that this might be just another marketing exercise. Was it really any good? The answer is yes - and no.

The whole package works, but it's not without its quirks. This feels like a Porsche of course it does, solid and invincible. I know I can throw this at anything and it will bounce back - unlike my DB9, which was fragile and unreliable. My DB9 cost about £25,000, while the base price of this 911 Dakar is over £170,000. It's a lot more than I'm used to spending on a car.

I've already had the chance to drive this thing, and I can tell you it doesn't feel like your average 911. The knobbly tires don't offer the same level of grip as my Turbo S, which means there's body roll and less effective brakes. But that's also what makes it better - it feels more like a 911 of the old school.

So, how will this car hold up on-road? Will it be able to compete with my Turbo S in everyday driving? I've already experienced some pothole-ridden roads, and let me tell you, they can be brutal. My Turbo S wouldn't dare venture into those conditions - it would come back looking like a mess.

But what if the road is just as bad on this 911 Dakar? Can it handle the rough stuff with ease? I'm eager to find out. The test of time will tell, but for now, I'll have to content myself with watching my DB9 sit in the garage while I go off-roading in this beast.

Speaking of which, if you want to see more of me messing about off-road in a vintage car, be sure to check out the new series of my workshop show. It's been a blast, and I think you'll enjoy it too.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe 911 has always been the car that does everything well almost I'm in a 911 doing this it's it feels wrong it feels naughty it's like mud wrestling and none I me not that I want to and not that you should but I should imagine it would feel liberated look at that dear Lord AB above the story with it technically it's the same 480 horsepower Flat 6 is in a normal 4 GTS which is I suppose what this started life has wide body extra extensions plastic arches underbody protection this is a serious thing and I can feel it straight away just as any 911 feels supremely confident and capable on the road this feels similarly brilliant and it feels weird saying it off the road oh no this gives me a terrible thought have I bought the wrong 911 with my Turbo S should I have hung on and tried to get one of these that's a terrible idea if you think I bought the wrong 911 like this video what am I saying don't like this video because I mean I bought the wrong 911 well I'm going to find out and I have a little test lined up later on to prove it oh God please don't be as good as I think you're going to be this is the naughtiest 9/11 ever but wait a minute I'm clearly in la la land here let's let's briefly get back into the real world and look at things sensibly before I make this big decision you know me I love a 9911 in fact I've just bought another one a Turbo S you can see that here 911s are all about usability versatility it is the superc car you can use every day that can do pretty much everything well apart from until now they couldn't do that and that's what makes this the 911 Dakar so unique this car is in many reasons why I ended up driving across morania in had gradually ruined ason Martin DB9 when I first saw the new 911 Daka I'll be honest I thought really sure I know the history 1984 Porsche one the dhar rally with a 911 converted into off-road spec but I was a little skeptical just is it just on stilts marketing exercise is it really any good yeah it really is and the whole package works it's a Porsche of course it does but I think the agonies I was in in my DB9 it was unreliable it was fragile it wasn't any tougher than a normal DB9 which is to say not very tough at all this feels and is invincible if IID had anything like this feeling of rugged solidity I know I can throw this at anything and it will bounce back my DB9 didn't feel like that it was rubbish mind you my DB9 cost about 25 Grand this I think base price is over 170 they're only making 2 and a half thousand of them they will be highly speced I don't think there'll be one that cost much under 200,000 quid it's quite a lot more than my DB9 was to be fair it's definitely that much better though right I said earlier that there was a test I wanted to do when it comes to working out whether or not I have bought the wrong portion and it's coming up first up off-road press usually comes at the expense of on-road ability I've already driven this thing enough to know it doesn't I mean yeah these knobbly tires don't offer the same level of grip it's 50 mil higher even in its low mode so there is body roll the brakes aren't quite as effective all of that means it's worse all of which means it's better this feels more like like a 911 of the old school than my Turbo S which is a missile but it doesn't talk to me like this one does it doesn't tell me as much but that's not the test I already knew that the test is coming up because around the corner is a stretch of road and that stretch of road is the reason why my Turbo S is in the garage right now and I'm out in this it's poth hold and I mean in the modern sense of poth hold which is to say utterly rude ruined and neglected I never take my Turbo S down there because it would be destroyed there's one pothole on that road that my eldest daughter Izzy hit in her Mercedes a class it destroyed two of her tires by the time I got back to the car where I'd left it in a farmyard with the changed tires the farmer told me that one pothole had claimed another 11 tires it would have been cheaper for all of us drivers to club together and pay to have the pot all repaired and not lose the time in in mending our cars but what I'm wondering is if this 911 daa offers me an admittedly more expensive but better solution than that namely leave the potholes where they are don't change the road change the car there's what it eats them it's like Revenge you have it I'm actually beating up pools in a 911 and my Turbo S is in the garage and the whole point of owning a 9 11 is that you can use it every day wait a minute no oh I've never hated a 911 more than I hate this one because it's brilliant and I love it I bought the wrong 911 why Haven I got one of these it's literally everything I need in a car everything and I also read and this hurts to admit it you can get it with a roof tent like the one I had on my DB9 before the guys ripped it off if I had one of these with the roof tent on it I would marry it and run away with it damn what have I done anyway if you want to see me messing about off-road some more albeit in a more vintage car you can click the link in description to check out the new series of my workshop show it's brilliant I hate this thingthe 911 has always been the car that does everything well almost I'm in a 911 doing this it's it feels wrong it feels naughty it's like mud wrestling and none I me not that I want to and not that you should but I should imagine it would feel liberated look at that dear Lord AB above the story with it technically it's the same 480 horsepower Flat 6 is in a normal 4 GTS which is I suppose what this started life has wide body extra extensions plastic arches underbody protection this is a serious thing and I can feel it straight away just as any 911 feels supremely confident and capable on the road this feels similarly brilliant and it feels weird saying it off the road oh no this gives me a terrible thought have I bought the wrong 911 with my Turbo S should I have hung on and tried to get one of these that's a terrible idea if you think I bought the wrong 911 like this video what am I saying don't like this video because I mean I bought the wrong 911 well I'm going to find out and I have a little test lined up later on to prove it oh God please don't be as good as I think you're going to be this is the naughtiest 9/11 ever but wait a minute I'm clearly in la la land here let's let's briefly get back into the real world and look at things sensibly before I make this big decision you know me I love a 9911 in fact I've just bought another one a Turbo S you can see that here 911s are all about usability versatility it is the superc car you can use every day that can do pretty much everything well apart from until now they couldn't do that and that's what makes this the 911 Dakar so unique this car is in many reasons why I ended up driving across morania in had gradually ruined ason Martin DB9 when I first saw the new 911 Daka I'll be honest I thought really sure I know the history 1984 Porsche one the dhar rally with a 911 converted into off-road spec but I was a little skeptical just is it just on stilts marketing exercise is it really any good yeah it really is and the whole package works it's a Porsche of course it does but I think the agonies I was in in my DB9 it was unreliable it was fragile it wasn't any tougher than a normal DB9 which is to say not very tough at all this feels and is invincible if IID had anything like this feeling of rugged solidity I know I can throw this at anything and it will bounce back my DB9 didn't feel like that it was rubbish mind you my DB9 cost about 25 Grand this I think base price is over 170 they're only making 2 and a half thousand of them they will be highly speced I don't think there'll be one that cost much under 200,000 quid it's quite a lot more than my DB9 was to be fair it's definitely that much better though right I said earlier that there was a test I wanted to do when it comes to working out whether or not I have bought the wrong portion and it's coming up first up off-road press usually comes at the expense of on-road ability I've already driven this thing enough to know it doesn't I mean yeah these knobbly tires don't offer the same level of grip it's 50 mil higher even in its low mode so there is body roll the brakes aren't quite as effective all of that means it's worse all of which means it's better this feels more like like a 911 of the old school than my Turbo S which is a missile but it doesn't talk to me like this one does it doesn't tell me as much but that's not the test I already knew that the test is coming up because around the corner is a stretch of road and that stretch of road is the reason why my Turbo S is in the garage right now and I'm out in this it's poth hold and I mean in the modern sense of poth hold which is to say utterly rude ruined and neglected I never take my Turbo S down there because it would be destroyed there's one pothole on that road that my eldest daughter Izzy hit in her Mercedes a class it destroyed two of her tires by the time I got back to the car where I'd left it in a farmyard with the changed tires the farmer told me that one pothole had claimed another 11 tires it would have been cheaper for all of us drivers to club together and pay to have the pot all repaired and not lose the time in in mending our cars but what I'm wondering is if this 911 daa offers me an admittedly more expensive but better solution than that namely leave the potholes where they are don't change the road change the car there's what it eats them it's like Revenge you have it I'm actually beating up pools in a 911 and my Turbo S is in the garage and the whole point of owning a 9 11 is that you can use it every day wait a minute no oh I've never hated a 911 more than I hate this one because it's brilliant and I love it I bought the wrong 911 why Haven I got one of these it's literally everything I need in a car everything and I also read and this hurts to admit it you can get it with a roof tent like the one I had on my DB9 before the guys ripped it off if I had one of these with the roof tent on it I would marry it and run away with it damn what have I done anyway if you want to see me messing about off-road some more albeit in a more vintage car you can click the link in description to check out the new series of my workshop show it's brilliant I hate this thing\n"