Porsche Revisits Its Legendary Rally Past

Reunited

To this day, it still surprises those not in the know that Porsche has had great success in the world of rallying. But for us fans of the brand, the mere sight of cars like the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 4x4 Paris-Dakar (953) is enough to get us all worked up inside. And there's nothing cooler than seeing this legend of the rally world meet up with the equally famous Walter Röhrl in the Austrian alps at Zell am See.

Photos: Porsche

Special Build

The Porsche Museum's 953 was produced in 1984 to take on the infamous and arduous Paris-Dakar Rally. The 953 used a 911 G model shell and near-standard 3.2-liter flat-six with a reduced compression ratio to better manage poor quality fuel. The real changes would be found underneath, centering around a new all-wheel-drive system with 31:69 power distribution between the front and rear axles and a manually locking center differential.

Photos: Porsche

Multiple Changes

Porsche also increased wheel travel to 270 millimeters and fitted a double-wishbone suspension with twin shock absorbers at the front and a reinforced axle with additional coil springs at the rear. The body was heavily reinforced with a welded steel roll cage, while the doors, roof, front fenders, and all of the glass, save for the windscreen, was made of polycarbonate plastics to save weight.

Photos: Porsche

Impressive Results

To cope with the incredible distances covered each day on the Paris-Dakar, Porsche's engineers also fitted a 120-liter fuel tank in the front luggage compartment with an additional 150-liter tank mounted behind the driver's seat. French veterans of the rally, René Metge, and his co-driver Dominique Lemoyne took the radical new 911 to victory on its maiden outing, their success marking the first win for a sports car in the history of the Paris-Dakar. Teammates Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur fell back to 139th place following a cable fire, but even they managed to battle their way back up to sixth place at the flag.

Photos: Porsche

Legendary Pairing

On this day, 40 years later, another legend of Porsche's 1980s rallying endeavours has been united with this remarkable car in its unfamiliar surroundings amid the Austrian alps at Zell am See. As the undisputed king of ice-driving, Porsche brand ambassador and two-time former World rally Champion Walter Röhrl is the perfect partner for the 953 in a sub-zero setting, and he wastes no time in climbing aboard.

Photos: Porsche

Quintessential Rally 911

"Of course, you approach the car with a certain respect," Röhrl said. "You know what it has achieved, what a success it has been. For a car fan it's the greatest thing when you drive a car like that." Finished in the trademark Rothmans livery, offset by white Fuchs alloys shod in vast, all-terrain tires, the 953 is the quintessential rallying 911. Everywhere you look there are details that underline its absolute purity of purpose, from the underbody protection and mighty off-road mud flaps to aerodynamic motorsport wing mirrors and high taillights. And the theme continues inside as Röhrl straps himself into a spartan cockpit complete with lightweight bucket seats and multiple auxiliary rally instruments.

Photos: Porsche

Addictive Drive

Within a single lap of the makeshift ice circuit, Röhrl has the 953 drifting on full opposite lock, his feet dancing across the pedal box with the same ease and precision that they did half a century ago when the young German was dominating the World Rally Championship. The unmistakable sound of the unsilenced Boxer engine echoes around the empty valley, an aural calling card that Röhrl refers to has the "pinnacle" for motorsport fans, but also as an elixir for professional racers. "It stimulates you," he explains. "It spurs you on. Porsche builds fine roads cars and wonderful cars for the track, but they also make them for the most brutal terrain in the world. This car was made for the desert, but it's still amazing how you can drive it on sheet ice. It's addictive!"

Photos: Porsche

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