The legendary Porsche 911 Carrera SC 3.2 4×4 (also called the 911 Paris-Dakar) could lay claim to the title of the finest off-roader from the German automaker. Behind the watchful eyes and careful hands of French rally ace René Metge and co-driver Dominique Lemoyne, the 953-Series Porsche 911 Paris-Dakar was the first sports car to conquer the treacherous Paris-Dakar rally in 1984.

2023 Porsche 911 Dakar

However, we have a gut feeling the 992-Series Porsche 911 Dakar has the goods to grab the ?finest off-roader? title from its forebearer. Designed and engineered to celebrate its grandfather?s historic Paris-Dakar victory, the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar heralds the dawn of the off-road supercar era. Porsche drew first blood, and we?re confident its fellow German and Italian neighbors are paying close attention.
We all know the Porsche 911 as the epitome of an everyday, usable sports car (and older models are surprisingly affordable). But as Porsche said in its press release: ?The concept of the 911 knows almost no boundaries,? so it came up with something that would drop jaws at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show. The 911 Dakar starts with a 992-Series 911 sports car and ends with vintage livery, the first time that Porsche mixes a two-tone paint scheme with classic decals.

The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar stands out (literally) with its new off-road suspension. It sits almost two inches (50 mm) higher than a standard 911 Carrera with the sport suspension package, and it...