Porsche Announces Retro Racing-Inspired Wraps for the 911 Dakar

The Porsche 911 Dakar is set to join the ranks of ultra-cool but ultra-expensive and difficult-to-find models in the automaker’s vast catalog, but that hasn’t stopped it from offering upgrades for the car. To celebrate the car’s rally roots, Porsche announced a series of retro wraps inspired by the brand’s run in the East African Safari Rally and the Paris-Dakar Rally in the 1970s and 80s.

The first-inspired wrap follows the design of the 1971 Porsche works team that conquered the desert and terrain of Kenya over 3,100 miles. The wrap features number 19, the number from the most successful car in the rally. Finishing fifth, a pair of Polish drivers drove the car, and the wrap to commemorate their success will set you back $5,260.

The East African Safari Rally wrap features the number 19. The race in 1974 covered three sections ranging from 900 to 1,255 miles each. Only 16 of the 99 cars that entered finished and the $5,260 wrap’s styling is taken from the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS driven by Swedish rally champion Björn Waldegard.

Waldegard returned in 1978 with a 911 SC Group 4 custom car, though he only finished fourth, breaking a wishbone, shock absorber, and driveshaft in the process. His car featured orange, blue, and grey graphics, similar to the Martini Racing liveries of the time. The wrap wears number 14 from another car that finished second in the rally and costs $7,510. 

These expensive wraps can be ordered from the factory or installed as an upgrade by a Porsche-certified dealer. Of course, you’re even less likely to see a wrapped 911 Dakar than the standard car, as Porsche will only build 2,500 of the $222,000 off-roader.

[Image: Porsche]

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