DUBAI – A show of might, unmitigated proof of power, a history lesson and an emotional drive with someone famous. It’s not often that the opportunity to experience all comes together at once. But for those of us who were fortunate enough to take a drive in the sands and dunes of Dubai in two of Porsche’s most famous cars and with one of the world’s most famous professional drivers recently, the two-day event remains etched in our minds.
Winners of the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally, the Porsche 911 SC and the celebrated Porsche 959, the car that won the same rally in 1986, were in Dubai along with the man who drove the supercars to stardom. He is none other than Jacky Ickx.
Sitting in the Porsche 959, the Paris-Dakar legend, ready to go with the powerful engine sound all around immediately releases a flow of adrenaline to anyone seated beside the driving sensation. Down a big sand dune and up the next in a few seconds and onto the straight track with 400 bhp engine kicking in, the sand dune fly by in a flash. Pure Porsche. And although the drive was somewhat less arduous this time around in Dubai (the Paris-Dakar is 11,000 km and 20-day long), Ickx feels confident that the car could do it again.
Stefan Ruschke, Porsche Middle East’s marketing manager, explained, “We wanted to bring together members of the media who collectively would enjoy this unique Porsche experience, enjoy learning about the history and success behind Porsche’s 4WD technology and then go home and tell the rest of the world about it. All this comes in the build-up to the launch of the Porsche Cayenne, the off-road SUV we launch later this year.”
In truth, entering the 911 in the Paris-Dakar was not something Porsche aspired to back in the 1980s. The Paris-Dakar was a race for motorcycles, trucks and 4WDs. It was Ickx who convinced Porsche to let it happen, and back in Weissach in 1984 the engineers started working on it.
And so it was, the first ever sports car to win the Paris-Dakar was a 4WD evolution of standard 911 Carrera 3.2, which finished 1st, 6th, and 26th in the 1984 rally. But looking ahead to the future, the hot desert sand is the location where the next Porsche, the Cayenne, will reign. It was, in fact, the desert sands of Dubai last year that witnessed the harsh testing of the Cayenne prototype. Dubai presented two of the most challenging surfaces for any off-road vehicle: Sand and rock.
Said Ruschke, “The tests here in Dubai were successful, the Cayenne performed with remarkable consistency. From the beginning of the development of the Cayenne, Porsche has taken the market expectations of the Middle East very seriously. We anticipate this car will take the Middle East by storm. Cayenne not only advances a natural heritage, a history of innovation and achievement on and off the track, it represents the inspired performance and practical drivability that make it clearly the next Porsche.”
The 100 years behind Porsche’s all-wheel and 4WD history, dating back to the Lohner-Porsche, combined with the expertise and passion that has driven winners like the 911 SC and 959 to be developed, will reveal something unique and classic in Cayenne. The design, safety standards and pure simplicity of this beauty will soon be revealed to the anxiously awaiting public. Meanwhile, Jacky Ickx,
Saudi rally champion Mamdouh Khayyat,
and members of the Porsche Middle East team are busy in the sands once again, showing the crowds what they do best, the art of skillful driving in tough conditions in a Porsche with an aim to win.
No comments:
Post a Comment