Historic decal sets for Porsche 911 Dakar: pricey!
East African Safari Rally 1971
The 5,000-kilometer East African Safari Rally took participants through savannas, steppes and the highlands of Kenya and was considered one of the toughest rallies ever. Porsche first took on this challenge in 1971 with an official factory team. That year, Polish drivers Sobieslaw Zasada and Marian Bien finished fifth in Kenya.
1971 Rally
The modified 911 S was externally recognizable by the solid black foil on the front cover, front fenders and doors. The decorative decal set “1971 Rally” for the 911 Dakar adopts this design and shows the starting number 19 with which Polish drivers Zasada and Bien drove the leaden rally.
East African Safari Rally 1974
The East African Safari Rally had incredibly long stages. In 1974, the race was divided into three sections from 1,450 to 2,019 kilometers, which teams had to cover in just five days. Of the 99 cars entered, only 16 crossed the finish line. Rally champion Björn Waldegård, the Swedish veteran who won the Rallye Monte Carlo twice in a Porsche, together with his co-driver Hans Thorszelius were in the lead for a long time in their Carrera RS 2.7.
Grandprix white car
Waldegård started the third section with a 36-minute lead, but damage to the wishbone ended up costing him 72 minutes, finishing honorably in second place. Characteristic of the main sponsor Kuehne + Nagel’s decal was the blue lines running along the shoulder lines of the Grandprix white car. The decals of the new Porsche 911 Dakar also follow this theme, albeit with narrower lines and complemented by the Porsche logo on the lower edges of the doors.
Rally 1978: the legendary racing design
Björn Waldegård went full out again at the 1978 East African Safari Rally. The Swede started in Kenya with one of two purpose-built 911 SC Group 4 cars and quickly showed the competition who was vying for victory. In the end, the East African Safari Rally proved treacherous again: the wishbones, shock absorbers and driveshaft of Waldegård’s Porsche sustained too much damage. Help was not nearby. This left only fourth place for the fast Swede, while South African Porsche duo Vic Preston junior/John Lyall finished second.
Martini Racing Team
The colors of the sponsor Martini consisted of wavy planes of orange plus dark and light blue and had been world famous since 1959 through the activities of the Martini Racing Team. Even in the case of the new 911 Dakar, Porsche’s designers have reinterpreted the historic decals. The starting number 14 on the doors is that of Vic Preston junior, who finished second.
Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur
All decorative decal sets can be ordered ex-factory from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur. The “Rallye 1971” and “Rallye 1974” decal sets will also be available later through Porsche Tequipment at Porsche Centers.
Decal sets prices
- Decorative set ‘Rallye 1971’ Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur: €4,400
- Decorative set ‘Rallye 1974’ Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur: €4,400
- Decorative set ‘Rallye 1978’ Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur: €6,284