The original Porsche 959 Dakar, an icon of power and design, is back on tough terrain.
Driven by Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur, this particular 959 finished second in the perilous 1986 Paris-Dakar rally from France to West Africa, just one place behind the winning French team in another 959, and in front of another 959 that finished sixth.
It exemplified how well German engineering can withstand extreme conditions—traversing hot deserts and shifting savannas. This legendary racer secured its position among the rally's legends.
Now, it is ready to embark on the roads, and shine again as a comprehensive recommissioning crew at the Porsche Heritage and Museum painstakingly refurbished the 959.
The 959 Paris Dakar Race History
Known as an epic adventure, the 1986 Paris-Dakar Rally was a showstopping exhibition of high-speed racing and tireless endurance. Among the starting line of all-terrain vehicles and trucks, the trio of Porsche 959s dominated the race with their elegance, strength and speed.
The Porsche Museum has preserved the historic trio’s legacy and their momentous wins, with the winning 959 remaining untouched, and is kept in a kind of time capsule with physical traces of the rally still preserved. The 959 Paris-Dakar racers have been testaments to determination, and the unrelenting spirit of adventure.
Preservation and Overhauling
Described by Uwe Makrutzki, Head of Porsche Classic factory restoration as an “emotionally charged affair,” the recommissioning of the 959 Paris-Dakar has been really special to the team because the model is a prototype.
It has been intended to be retained in its original form, only overhauling it lightly while eradicating mechanical flaws. The Porsche Classic team meticulously disassembled, refurbished, and reassembled the gearbox, engine, and drivetrain. Amazingly, they found little to no damage. Turns out, despite being over 30 years old, the 959 was still in very good shape, covering just over 18,000 kilometers. Its air-/water-cooled flat-six engine with compound turbocharging delivered a decreased output of 395 hp due to the low-quality fuel, but it was still capable of achieving 130 mph speeds.
During dismantling, the Porsche team discovered several pounds of sand and mud from the African desert. After the rally, the body and its mechanical parts had remained intact. Muddy dirt showed that the 959 traversed rivers, and experienced water in its interior.
To maintain the car's history, little patches of corrosion where the Kevlar body sections grind against the metal frame due to the physical forces of high-speed rally driving were conserved rather than restored.
Creating An Authentic Comeback
For the grand reveal of the restored 959, there was no better person to retell the 1986 story than its original driver, the Belgian racing legend Jacky Ickx. He was invited to give the 959 a spin in a stone quarry.
“In the car, the memories came back to me immediately as I remembered the people who made it all possible back then,” Ickx shared. Almost four decades later, he summed up the 1986 race in three words: "Memories, emotions, passion."
Kuno Werner, Head of the Museum Workshop, and the entire Porsche Heritage and Museum team are proud of the project. “The 959 stood idle for many years before being given the opportunity of a whole new reunion with its original driver on this snow and grit,” he said.
The refurbished automobile was displayed in Stuttgart on February 23-26 as part of the '75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars' special exhibition.
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