Reflections on a Slush-Filled Saga: Driving the Porsche 911 Dakar in Quebec City
The call came on an early morning in mid-December; it was an email, actually, if recollection serves. A Porsche Winter Drive Experience in Quebec City, scheduled for early January. Merry Christmas to me, it seemed at the time. The invite came replete with an image of the Roughroads livery Porsche 911 Dakar that our autos editor had driven a month prior, positioned on what looked to be an ice drive track. With visions of skidding the beloved Dakar on ice, initially (and wrongly) of mind that this adventure would be part of Porsche’s Ice Driving Experience on a closed course, I jumped on the opportunity.
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Little did I know, Porsche Canada had a far more lifestyle focus. Departing from Quebec City’s famed Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, we ventured through quaint residential districts, and alongside the partly frozen Saint Lawrence River in a tempered procession quite unlike the paths forged by the Dakar’s ’80s ancestor. If I’m honest, there was a lot of “why on earth are we doing this” aside from the obvious; the handful of content creators in the party were content to drive slowly and occasionally pull over to get their 21st century equivalent of a glamour shot with a scenic wintery backdrop.
The entire experience, lovely as it was, and as well fed and pampered as we all were once leaving, left me in a state of ponderance. Remember, the 911 Dakar that made their way to Quebec were three of 2,500 being produced. With the excitement and fanfare surrounding these things, they’re long since sold out, and will be no doubt half million dollar offerings for those foolish enough to try and chase one on the secondary market while the hype around it runs so high. I was far from the first, nor the last to wonder about how much marketing has gone behind the Dakar considering how easily it sold out, but once the dust settled, a moment of clarity prevailed; this is Porsche’s pitch at a new breed of “Poster Car”.
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Porsche 911 Dakar
Let’s be clear here, Porsche fandom is in no need of a “lift”. The brand is still the drivable halo car hero it’s always been — the fact that the brand’s sales figures continue to steadily climb year over year (aside from 2020 where every maker took a hit) is a testament to that. They’ve also remained in lockstep with the rest of the luxury performance market in terms of steady performance growth, engagement in motorsport, and the like. With zero discredit meant to the brand, this is all very “status quo,” as it should be to keep the Stuttgart machine forging ahead on its oh-so-successful path.
That said, the 911 Dakar taps into something else that no other modern Porsche really touches: nostalgia. The ’80s are alive and well in the collector scene these days, stretching from 930s to Group B rally cars and even the Ferrari Testarosa (much to the chagrin of a fellow motoring journalist). We all know that nostalgia sells. You barely have to look past the tip of your nose to see and smell the proliferation of all things vintage. The automotive category is one of the hardest places to lean into it effectively without coming off as a bit of a schtick. Remember the PT Cruiser? The Plymouth Prowler? The early 2000s Ford Thunderbird?
This is where the 911 Dakar soars ahead. The dune bashing beast, once clad in its adventure-ready roof rack, light bar, and meaty tires, just screams retro rally without remotely compromising in terms of modernity of either equipment or design. I suppose the one benefit of the 911 barely ever changing aesthetically is that it can pull memories from 40+ years ago without having to undergo a substantial makeover. Especially when clad in its Roughroads livery — cheeky, but passable considering the cigarette advertising it replaces — it’s the idea, the daydream that tugs at those heartstrings. Even in our local market, the idea of shredding through logging roads or open fields makes you think “damn, that would be so much fun”, especially knowing that this fun is packaged in something you can drive absolutely everywhere and all day long.
So, here we are. Left behind is our trio of the most marvelous, grin-inducing Porsches for all seasons, gone and forever out of reach. What lingers are the memories, smiles, and occasional head shakes of “why on earth are we not on a closed course?” In a world where Instagram, Tiktok, and (to a lesser degree) even Pinterest have become the digitized replacement of bedroom wall posters, and creators across these platforms now their manufacturers. While I have no doubt that the added buzz surrounding these cars making the rounds through feeds of creators outside the Porsche loyalists will have the desired brand-building effect that the team was reaching for, it still left everyone in sight of the 911 Dakar resting on the same question. Will we ever see more of them, and how can I get one?
