2023 Porsche 911 Dakar spied

It’s looking more likely that Porsche will put a high-riding 911 into production.

Another prototype for the raised sports car has been spied during testing. Although the 911 Safari name has been thrown around, it’s also possible Porsche will apply the Dakar badge.

This particular prototype, along with its raised ride, features what look like 911 GT3-style nostrils on the front boot.

The lower air intakes have a shape in keeping with what we’ve seen from other 992.2 911 test mules, and there’s no indication the wheels fitted to this prototype are production-spec.

Down back there’s a 911 Turbo-style spoiler fitted to the engine cover. It’s not quite as overt as the hoop-style spoiler fitted to the best-known high-riding Porsche, the 959 racer from the 1980s.

It’s not clear what will power the Dakar, but it’s likely to be all-wheel drive given its off-road focus.

While the new Safari might be the first of its kind since the 1978 911 SC Safari, Porsche has toyed with reviving the idea before.

In late 2020 the automaker released a clutch of photos detailing 15 concepts it had developed but never publicly revealed before, one of which was a 911 Safari.

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