When the Porsche 911 Dakar goes off the beaten track… on the Nürburgring

In general, when a sports car is released, it is not long before it is abused by German journalists on the famous Nürburgring. Especially when it comes to a new version of Porsche 911. The Dakar version has therefore passed into the hands of Christian Gebhardt, a colleague from the German magazine Sport Auto. Yet more suited to rally tracks than to the asphalt of the Green Hell, it has not been unworthy… thanks to small adjustments to the trajectories.

The Sport Auto journalist has effectively freed himself from the limits of the circuit to stick to the “off-road” character of the 911 Dakar. Why stay on tarmac when you can cut corners crossing grass and fields, or use old sections of the circuit now closed off by safety barriers? This gives rise to an amusing video, in which we find some off-road passages that the raised German coupe crosses without any difficulty thanks to its specific off-road tires and variable ride height. Indeed, the 911 Dakar has a lift system up to 80 mm high, and this up to 170 km/h. It is said that the coupé would be more comfortable crossing ridges than a Cayenne thanks to the almost equivalent angles of attack and departure and the shorter wheelbase.

The driver even goes so far as to avoid certain bends, such as the mythical “Karussell” by taking the old straight line of Steilstrecke. 450 m long, it was created in 1926 and used for car tests and some hill climbs. Today closed to car traffic by barriers, it can be used by hikers and cyclists… or a Porsche 911 Dakar for a special video!

Thanks to these shortcuts, the raised Porsche 911 achieves a good time on the track (7:39:4) despite its top speed being limited to 240 km/h by its all-terrain tires. Either way, the goal here was more to make an entertaining video rather than a real lap record.

Photos: Sport Auto video screenshot.

Also read on Auto-Moto.com:

Porsche 911 Dakar test: we drove aboard the first “off-road” 911

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato: Exclusive discovery of the desert supercar in Qatar

Porsche 911 S/T: an inexpensive birthday present

To sum up

The German magazine Sport Auto took the Porsche 911 Dakar literally by sending it to the Nürburgring circuit for a session on track… and off-road.

Editor