Porsche 911 Dakar

Only one car in the 600-car catalogue shares the Porsche 911 Dakar’s combination of a turbocharged flat-six, and that makes its place here more interesting than a simple look at performance figures suggests. The 911 Dakar is not the most powerful car in the collection, ranking 352nd of 600 with 473 bhp, but its unusual mechanical pairing puts it in a category of its own within this garage landscape.

Its pace is still a major part of the story. A 0-100 km/h time of 3.4 seconds places it 166th of 600, meaning it is faster than 434 cars in the catalogue. That acceleration sits alongside a top speed of 240 km/h, a figure that ranks 541st of 600 and creates a different balance from cars built around outright velocity. The 911 Dakar is defined by the relationship between its numbers rather than any single headline figure.

The specification explains why that balance exists. This is a 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar, a GT category two seater fixed-head coupé from Germany, using a 2,981 cc, 3.0 litre flat-six engine with turbocharging, 570 Nm of torque and all-wheel drive. Across the catalogue, 47 of 600 cars use a flat-six layout, and only 10 pair that layout with AWD. The 911 Dakar stands apart further as the only turbocharged flat-six car in the collection.

Its price places it firmly among the more expensive choices available. At £250,000 used, it ranks 141st of 600, costing £529 per bhp. That figure reflects a car positioned between performance and collectability, rather than simply chasing the highest output available. Production was limited to 2,500 cars, and among the 177 cars in the catalogue with known production figures, only 15 are rarer.

For a dream garage, the appeal of the 911 Dakar comes from the decision it represents. Porsche has 65 cars in this catalogue, yet this one occupies a narrow space created by its combination of engine layout, drivetrain and character of performance. The final choice is not settled by speed, price or rarity alone. It comes down to whether a collection feels more complete with a car that sits apart from expected categories, where the numbers tell a story of balance rather than dominance.