Miguel Sánchez
Since its first edition in recent 2021, we have brought you many models related to the Dakar Classic. Thus things, from the Volkswagen illtis prepared in the Basque Country to the Pegaso 2223 for sale and ready to race, there are several stories related to this new competition told in this header.
Likewise, the present arrival of the fourth edition invites us to put the focus back on the desert; even more so when this test becomes increasingly interesting thanks to the incorporation of marathon stages spending the night in the sands.
At this point, it is interesting to exemplify how a performance vehicle can be adapted to the Dakar Classic in order to achieve excellent results. Proof of this is this 911 Porsche 1982SC; recently auctioned by Bonhams and, at the time, not only winner of a stage in the 2022 edition but also second in its class during the previous year.
FROM ASPHALT TO SAND
For the world of rallying, the first half of the eighties is one of its most interesting times. dominated by rise of turbochargers and the appearance of all-wheel drive this was the one in which the Group B dominated based on performance and spectacle. However, the evident lack of security - both for the teams and the public - accompanied that constantly revisited phenomenon.
In fact, the tragic deaths of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto in the spring of 1986 put an abrupt and not entirely unexpected end to these models. A situation that, in the end, left some projects behind technological from brands as capable as Toyota, Audi, Ferrari or Porsche.
However, in the case of the Stuttgart brand that did not end up falling on deaf ears thanks to the appearance of the 959 precisely during that same year. Designed with the aim of be approved in Group B, this authentic supercar displayed performance only comparable to those exhibited by the Ferrari F40 while debuting innovative all-wheel drive.
Of course, after what happened, the 959's racing life was not particularly fruitful. In any case, just during the year of its appearance it surprised everyone and everyone with victory in none other than the Dakar. Just in the edition prior to Peugeot domain, which turned its attention to the sands after seeing its 205 T16 canceled in the WRC.
The result of that sporting feat was the introduction into the collective memory of motorsports of a kind of 911 with huge wheels, fenders and all kinds of elements ready for Off-Road. And, despite Porsche's previous participation in events like the Safari or Dakar itself, the image of that 959 with Rothmans livery was destined to be a true icon.
PORSCHE 911SC, A REPLICA FOR THE DAKAR CLASSIC
As can be easily understood, the fascination exerted by the 959 Dakar of 1986 was as immense as its scarcity. Because of this, many fans rushed to build their own replicas using as a base a unit relative to any of the 911 variants. Due to this, a 1982 SC model became what you are seeing.
All this without including a transformation to all-wheel drive but with long-travel suspensions, protective plates and matching decoration. Regarding the mechanics, under the rear hood of this 911SC hides a 3 liters with 260CV tuned by trainer Claudio SG Racing. Something that, by the way, required new and more effective brakes in order to provide the necessary response.
At this point, the unit you are seeing passed from hand to hand, always linked to the world of classic raids; a perfect place for this tribute unit until, facing the inaugural edition of the Dakar Classic, pilot Amy Lerner -with extensive experience in African rallies- arranged it at the starting line with the results mentioned above.
Finally, without a doubt the Dakar Classic has come to put the heritage interpreted by the Off-Road classics in its right place. Without a doubt, one of the best initiatives devised in the world of historic vehicles in recent years.
Images: Bonhams
