911 Dakar Down Under

When the Porsche 911 turned 60 last year, Porsche Brand Ambassador and former World Endurance Champion Mark Webber spearheaded a uniquely Australian celebration for the legendary sportscar, bringing together the recently released 911 Dakar and the 911 GT3 RS to showcase and record the 911’s renowned breadth of driving performance.

Joining Webber on this unique adventure Down Under was former Porsche factory driver and 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Stéphane Ortelli. The Monégasque racer shared the driving duties with Webber as the pair made a spirited dash to deliver an important parcel for the 911’s 60th birthday party in Australia. Their journey was captured in an entertaining video production titled Rallying into the 60th anniversary of the Porsche 911.

Porsche Cars Australia travelled to a number of spectacular locations to document the duo’s driving action in these two iconic 911 models. The dramatic outback setting of rugged Coober Pedy was the perfect backdrop to showcase the all-terrain capabilities of the rally-inspired 911 Dakar. This unmistakable limited-edition model evokes the first overall victory by Porsche in the Paris-Dakar Rally, a 1984 racing success which coincided with the birth of all-wheel drive in the Porsche 911.

In the video, Mark Webber demonstrates his armoury of driving skills in the 353 kW (480 PS; 911 Dakar: Fuel consumption* combined (WLTP) 11.3 l/100 km, CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 256 g/km, CO₂ class G ) 911 Dakar, which features an extra 50 millimetres of ground clearance thanks to a retuned chassis and specially developed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres, which offer impressive rough-road grip and durability. 

Pulling up next to the pristine white 911 GT3 RS at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, the dust-covered 911 Dakar is a reminder of the broad performance spectrum in the DNA of the 911.

Stéphane Ortelli took the wheel for the video’s tarmac driving scenes, deploying all 386 kW (525 PS; 911 GT3 RS: Fuel consumption* combined (WLTP) 13.4 l/100 km, CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 305 g/km, CO₂ class G ) available from the motorsport-derived 911 GT3 RS on the 7.7-kilometre circuit. This newest addition to the Porsche RS bloodline employs cooling and aerodynamics systems from the race-winning Porsche 911 R, as well as lightweight construction using carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP).

This high-performance sportscar’s extraordinary grip and speed were on full show in the hands of the endurance racing legend, whose many racing successes include victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the famed Porsche 911 GT1.

For Daniel Schmollinger, CEO and Managing Director of Porsche Cars Australia, the video captures more than a fun and memorable celebration of the archetypal sportscar from Porsche. 

“After 60 years, the Porsche 911 remains the definitive sportscar,” he said. “It stands for more than performance and design; it is driving in its most beautiful form.

“Both Mark and Stéphane are legends when it comes to pushing performance boundaries, and in this film they really show the true-to-life enjoyment that is a natural part of driving the 911.”