Dakar

2023 Porsche 911 Dakar Brings Safari Spirit In A Factory Ready Package, Will Be Limited To 2,500 Examples

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While a Porsche 911 may be the last thing that you would expect when someone asked you to name an off-road-ready performance vehicle? They do exist, especially in the coveted Safari guise. However, these conversions were largely done by aftermarket firms, with Porsche not offering a factory-ready version for customers that crave desert-ready capability but with a factory warranty backing them up. Porsche has finally answered the call and has unveiled the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar.   Porsche 911 Dakar Raises The Temperature On Off-Roading The Porsche 911 Dakar might have styling that largely sticks to the 911 family tree, …

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Frankfurt IAA 2017 – PORSCHE Showfloor Gallery – Cayenne Turbo + GT3 Touring

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It is shocking how many things can be fixed in this world by the sheer presence of the Rothmans rally racing 959.  The new Cayenne Turbo continues the grand tradition of Porkers looking best from the back.  The nose is hard to judge in photos … but certainly looks ravenous. The GT3 Touring Package is a new issue with all the GT3 handling but less giant wing out back.  It looks stellar from both ends. We also have our first look at the 2018 Cayenne S. This seems rather plain in the presence of the Turbo but will surely bring …

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Rally Dakar 2016 Peugeot DKR16 Red Bull 27

DAKAR 2016 – Prologue and First Stage Gallery – Red Bull PEUGEOT-TOTAL DKR16

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Dakar got off to a fairly rough start this year: a big crash canceled the timed events of the Trucks class, while a smaller incident saw the four-time defending champion MINI Countryman careen off the course and injure multiple spectators. Reuters and AP report a father and son were seriously hurt and are in serious condition. The MINI driver was the first female driver from China, and she also sustained injuries.  Initial reports are of a hard jump landing and subsequent loss of control of the vehicle. This was always a very, very dangerous race. And at least these traumatic events …

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2017 ZAROOQ SandRacer – Pricing, Tech Specs and 50 Pics of New Emirati Off-Roader

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Zarooq just held its launch press conference! Very cool premier of an exceptionally promising rear-engine rally race truck — the SandRacer 300.   Teased since last summer, this new project is a partnership between global racing legends, skilled engineers and marketing savvy. All built and optimized for us in Zarooq’s back yard: the massive dunes of Arabia. The latest details make us even more excited about the project: rear-drive with a 3.5-liter V6 mounted in the mid-rear, the SandRacer is priced from about $100k at launch and will be road legal in the Middle East. The Zarooq’s otherworldly design outside …

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2017 Zarooq Sand Racer – a 500HP DAKAR LYKAN?

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A fresh supercar to report today! The 2017 Zarooq Motors Sand Racer — the launch model for an all-new Emirati sportscar venture. Proudly designed and made in the UAE, the Sand Racer hopes to take the bespoke supercar crazy into the dunes. A bespoke racing chassis mounts its 500HP engine in the rear for optimal offroad balance, while the bodywork is exciting and feels like an authentic rally raid prototype from the Dakar series. That bodywork was penned by the lead designer of the W Motors Lykan Hypersport — bringing plenty of local flavor to the military-style bodywork. The project …

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Peugeot DKR16 Gets Floored Redesign: Group B Fury in 200 New Images + Tech Specs and Dirty Video!

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Reviewing this nearly all-new 2016 Peugeot Dakar racer almost brings tears to a racer’s eye! And the blatt of the V6TT making 800Nm of torque is just the immersion to make your month. Will this make Peugeot and Red Bull’s year down in Chile in January? You’d be a fool to bet against this breathtaking prototype from the far future. Check out this animated evolution in GIF form showing the huge change in scale, proportions and stance for the newly-renamed Peugeot 2008 DKR16 racer. As we scroll through the past year, the original 2015 spec became the 2015+ configuration for …

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Nissan Gripz Concept

Updated1 with 50 New Pics – 2015 Nissan GRIPZ Concept Rally Racer

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This Nissan GRIPZ Concept is out and stunning!  Bold and sculptural lines take on a new level of layered surfacing, unique spoilers and evolved design themes. There is good news and not-so-good news to share, however. The good is that this compact crossover is gorgeous and previews a next generation of Nissan SUVs and crossovers. Everything from the next Frontier to the next Armada may wear designs influenced by the GRIPZ. Nissan calls this new form language ’emotionalgeometry.’ The not-great news is that this concept does not, after all, run a twin-turbo V6 — as we speculated last week. No, …

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2015 Nissan GRIPZ Concept 3

2015 Nissan GRIPZ Concept – Off-Road Z Car With V6TT!?

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Our second teaser look today at the new Nissan Frankfurt concept: GRIPZ. Inspired by two wildly diverse race vehicles, the GRIPZ may or may not preview a next-gen Juke: a rally racing Datsun 240Z and a Specialized road racing bicycle. We initially thought it was definitely a preview of next juke, but now believe (hope?) this GRIPZ might be an off-road Z car. Would this even be possible!? Oh yes. As the original Infiniti FX showed, the Nissan front-midship reardrive platform is exceptionally flexible. Everything from the 350Z to the G35 was built of these all-star bones — so the …

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Revised Peugeot DKR 2015+ Battle-Testing New Engine/Suspension Setups Ahead of Dakar 2016

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No person (or rally race) should be treated like ‘a means to an end.’ But when that ultimate goal looms larger than anything else in sight, you tend to focus on the main event. All others are just prep work. And so it is for the refreshed Peugeot 2008 DKR 2015+ racecar. That 2015+ coding is the internal tag for the heavy upgrade work done by the racing boffins at Peugeot Sport. The DKR was our clear favorite to win the Dakar rally in 2015, but lost out to the brutally fast MINI Countryman race squad, who are shooting for …

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2015 Peugeot 2008 DKR Rally Racer – Tech Specs and Pre-Dakar Photos

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The Peugeot DKR prototype currently blasting through the Chilean sahara on the 2015 Dakar rally has been a bit of a wallflower before the race. Few official photos of the truck have been seen. The mid-engine, rear-drive off-roader is an evolution of the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, but raised dramatically for its new Dakar mission. The same team that created the LeMans 908 HDi FAP cars have created both of these latest racing Pugs, and all have shared the primary super-diesel engine power. This 3.0-liter twin turbo-diesel is a total torque monster: it pushes out 590 pound-feet of …

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Dakar 2015 – IVECO Making Big Gains With One-Two Finish on Day 11 in T4 Trucks Class

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These Dakar press releases are always a bit confusing due to how long and how many stages there are in this grueling race. We are wrapping day 12 today, with two more to go. The T4 trucks class is always a fun one to watch because the vehicles are simply so gigantic. To see a 10-ton truck do flying leaps and landings is an unfortgettable spectacle, to be sure. Italian Iveco has been moving up the charts late in the Dakar 2015 race, but still languishes about 7th in overall truck rankings — behind the huge volume of Kamaz, Renault …

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2015 Dakar Rally – Peugeot 2008 DKR – 100-Photo Action Gallery

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In the previous Dakar article today about the MINI Countryman All4 team, we noted how their action photos from the event took the cake for sharing the race excitement with the rest of us. After a bit of digging, we’ve found a real treasure-trove. Photos and videos so amazing they make MINI’s effort look a little silly and amateurish. Who could deliver this? None other than the racing powerhouse Red Bull. Videos, photos, interviews – all numbering in the hundreds. All with production values that are ready for 4K HDTV. Most of the MINI team is powered by Monster Energy, …

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MINI Countryman Team Looks Set for Dakar Four-Peat

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MINI has been dominating the Paris-Dakar rally in Chile for the last four years running — and that dominance looks set to continue this year. The MINI squad is up about 30 minutes ahead of the next-quickest team as we enter day 12 of the race. The major competition in the form of the very-cool Peugeot 2008 DKR is still in the game, but with only one truck left. One of the DKR Pugs crashed out early in the competition. So will MINI sweep the competition again!? Watch this space. But when it comes to amazing action shots from the …

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hoggar

Concept Flashback – 2003 Peugeot Hoggar Was Twin-Engine 4×4 a la 2015 DKR Racer

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Here is a fun look at a dune buggy from Peugeot more than a decade ago. The brand had long ditched its  off-road-race pedigree through the 1990s, and with it any available 4×4 powertrains. The only way they could make this little cabrio a true 4×4 involved some very unique engineering. In what is a strange and exponentially more complex arrangement than a prop shaft, the Hoggar has twin four-cylinder turbodiesel engines. Both mounted transversely – with one on each end. Think of it like the noses of two Peugeot hatchback’s joined by a chromoly chassis in between. It is …

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2014 Peugeot Quartz Hybrid Crossover Concept Revealed Ahead of Paris Show

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Well here is an interesting surprise! This PHEV crossover concept leverages some of the sexy looks of the 2008 DKR race truck into a production-friendly shape. A 270-horsepower engine powers the front wheels, while the back wheels are driven by a powerful electric motor. The new plug-in setup even allows the Quartz crossover to have a 31-mile EV range when the batteries are fully charged. 2014 Peugeot 2008 DKR Prototype In terms of style, the defining elements of this cab-backward crossover are the long hood and ultra-low roofline. While not the most practical of shapes for an SUV, it is …

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Pikes Peak 2014 Mitsubishi MiEV Evo III GIF heaqder

600HP MiEV Evolution III Mitsubishi Zaps Pikes Peak Clouds with 9-min, 8-sec One-Two Finish

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600HP MiEV Evolution III Mitsubishi Zaps Pikes Peak Clouds Last year Mitsubishi had high hopes for the current-gen MiEV Evo to scorch the competition in the international Pikes Peak hillclimb, but left a bit disappointed. Knowing their intensive engineering focus as a company, we bet the team started to refine the car even further on the plane ride home. Enhancements began immediately and are actually remarkably comprehensive. They come down to two general areas of improvement: Mechanical changes seeking grip – increased grip more than ~60-percent with tires that went from 260-series widths all around to 330-series widths – better …

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KAMAZ 4911 ANimated GIF- CarRevsDaily

Update1 – KAMAZ 4911 Dominates 2014 DAKAR Rally For 12th Truck Class Win

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Update 1 June 17, 2014 Okay, so this race was in January 2014. Which makes this is bit of a late update… So you like the Ford Raptor and that feeling of being unstoppable on any terrain? Try the Kamaz-4911 on for size: – 17.2-liter, mid-mounted TD V8 engine – 730 horsepower @ 2500 rpm – 1991 pound-feet of torque @ 1300 rpm – Maximum Speed – 102.5 MPH Trust me, I had to check those numbers thrice myself. A 17-liter V8 is cool, but only the start of the fun for this multi-purpose truck platform. Initially designed with six …

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Concept Flashback - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ener-G-wagon GIF1

Concept Flashback: 2012 Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force

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The Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-force concept from Los Angeles 2012 deserves a fresh look, despite its ridiculous name. As part of the annual LA design challenge, the Ener-G truck seemed a bit too whimsical to ever see production. But could times be changing? The Galendewagen must be made until 2017 (I believe) based on a supply agreement with the German government. While keeping production lines open, the luxury G63 AMG is a consistent superstar for the brand. Even if only a few hundred are sold per year – the margins on a $150,000 SUV offer plenty of leverage to keep G-wagon fans …

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Concept Flashback – 1997 Nissan Trail Runner – Inspired Peugeot’s 2015 DAKAR Entry?

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Definitely ahead of its time, this 1997 Trail Runner concept. Nissan was ahead of Jeep and many others who started sensing this small/fast off-roader trend by the early 2000s. Other big guys threw more production muscle to make sketches like this car a real thing, but the results were shockingly-bad from Pontiac and Jeep. Yes, both the Pontiac Aztek and Jeep Compass were, in fact, really cool sketches and designs at first. But they were both D.O.A. in production thanks to tiny tires and no engine power to match the compact off-road racer premise. Time has finally come for these …

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Defender Challenge Racing Series by Bowler Motorsport Makes YOU the Off-Road Rally Hero

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Enticing, is it not? The idea of living the racing driver dream is quite vivid for many of us, but the options to do so bring huge costs of their own. For 2014, Bowler Motorsport is bringing its legendary Dakar rally know-how home to some of the UK’s most entertaining off-road regions – where professionals and beginners alike can feel the muddy rush of speed that can only originate in a professional rally car. Uprated Land Rover Defender 90’s are specially prepared by Bowler Motorsport for the series, with all the support that a professional team would bring as well. …

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Update1 Meet the Nissan Frontier Baja 1000 Upgrade from Fiberwerx – Best $1400 Nose and Fender Mods Ever?

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Update from Josh Campbell, owner of this beast! Shipping and painting were both about $500 each, and the install was done by him in about one day. This requires some heavy/huge wrenches, as well as knowledge about bodywork repair — but can theoretically be done on a DIY basis for most guys. He said the most time was spent fabricating mounts for the new Titan headlamps as well as the hood mounting pins. Great results overall! A new high in lifted trucks? A new low in my automotive writing career? We saw this amazing Nissan Frontier on the way home …

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Nissan GT-R Dakar Rally Prototype…! Most Absurd Renderings Ever?

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I was just going to share these with the Faceplace, but here goes nothing! No, I do not know why I spent so long doing this. But then again, the Porsche 959 won Paris-Dakar outright in 1984. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has won it numerous times as well. So perhaps not too insane? No. Completely insane. But fun to observe, hopefully =]

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MOPAR Adding Huge JEEP Upgrade Options — Cherokee Adventurer, Cherokee Dakar and Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel Trail Warrior

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Jeep just debuted a six-pack of new concepts for next week’s Moab off-road rally — which annually gathers thousands of Jeeps and Jeepers together for adventures out on the rocky desert trails. And more than a little fun back at base camp, too! This annual event is a huge part of Jeep culture — and is surely one of the biggest off-road extravaganza’s anywhere in the world. The new Cherokee adds Adventurer and Dakar spec levels via the MOPAR upgrades, while the Grand Cherokee is now upfit as a Trail Warrior in EcoDiesel spec. A diesel is perfect for off-roading …

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Concept Flashback: 2012 Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force Is Potential 2015 Paris-Dakar Hybrid?

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The Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-force concept from the 2012 Los Angeles deserves a fresh look. As part of the annual LA design challenge, the Ener-G truck seemed a bit too whimsical to ever see production. But could times be changing? The Galendewagen must be made until 2017 (I believe) based on a supply agreement with the German government. While keeping production lines open, the luxury G63 AMG is a consistent superstar for the brand. Even if only a few hundred are sold per year – the margins on a $150,000 SUV offer plenty of leverage to keep G-wagon fans happy. So how …

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Update1 – MINI Takes DAKAR Three-Peat with All4 Countryman Squad

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Update 1 June 17, 2014 Okay, so this race was in January 2014. Which makes this is bit of a late update. But here is the short version: MINI dominated the 2014 Dakar Rally, winning its third title in three years. I’d be willing to wager that when the MINI crossover was born and christened a few years ago, it thought the Countryman name meant things like hiking, biking, rafting or just being near the woods. But now: Countryman has become “What Country Are We In?” via the long-range Dakar rally in South America starting January 5th, 2014. This is …

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KAMAZ 4911 ANimated GIF- CarRevsDaily

Update1 – KAMAZ 4911 Dominates 2014 DAKAR Rally For 12th Truck Class Win

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So you like the Ford Raptor and that feeling of being unstoppable on any terrain? Try the Kamaz-4911 on for size: – 17.2-liter, mid-mounted TD V8 engine – 730 horsepower @ 2500 rpm – 1991 pound-feet of torque @ 1300 rpm – Maximum Speed – 102.5 MPH Trust me, I had to check those numbers thrice myself. A 17-liter V8 is cool, but only the start of the fun for this multi-purpose truck platform. Initially designed with six and eight-wheel options and variants, the Kamaz 4911 basically runs the engine from a tank, but in a (relatively) lightweight racing chassis. …

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