Historic liveries recall rally milestones.
Edited by Rex McAfee
Porsche to offer three exclusive wraps with designs inspired by the East African Safari Rally.
The rally history of the Porsche 911, well away from paved roads, began before the first victory in the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1984. Early forays in the East African Safari Rally in the 1970s remain a strong memory. While the styling of the optional Rallye Design Package for the 911 Dakar draws heavily on the winning car of 1984, Porsche offers three exclusive wraps for the 911 Dakar that reprise the look of the 1971, 1974, and 1978 entrants in the East African Safari Rally.
Rallye 1971: a fifth place for the Polish 911 team
This event took participants more than 3,100 miles through the savannahs, desert scrubland, and the highlands of Kenya and is regarded as one of the toughest rallies of all. Porsche undertook the challenge for the first time with a works team in 1971. The Rallye 1971 decal set for the 911 Dakar revisits this design and adds the competition number 19, which belonged to the most successful 911 in this rally – a car that came fifth in 1971, driven by Polish drivers Sobiesław Zasada and Marian Bie.
Rallye 1974: Björn Waldegård enters the fray
The East African Safari Rally featured incredibly long stages – in 1974, the race was divided into three sections of 900 to 1,255 miles, which the teams had to complete in just five days. Of the 99 cars that entered, only 16 made it to the finish line. Swedish rally champion Björn Waldegård, who had already won the Rallye Monte Carlo twice in a Porsche, held the lead for a long while alongside co-driver Hans Thorszelius in the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS and started the third section with a 36-minute gap on second place.
Rallye 1978: the legendary racing design
Björn Waldegård wasn’t finished. With one of two 911 SC Group 4 cars custom-built for the purpose, the Swede gave it another go in Kenya and quickly showed the competition that he was set on victory. In the end, however, the East African Safari Rally would again prove treacherous: a wishbone, shock absorber, and drive shaft – Waldegård’s Porsche sustained too much damage, in some cases far away from helping hands. The quick Swede had to be content with fourth place, while the South African duo of Vic Preston Jr. and John Lyall took second.
All decal sets can be ordered from the factory via the Porsche Exclusive manufacturer. The Rallye 1971 and Rallye 1974 decal sets can also be ordered later via Porsche Tequipment at authorized Porsche dealerships.
