The Porsche 953 was a heavily modified variant of the 911, designed and built specifically for the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally. It is sometimes called the 911 4×4, because it used the manually controlled four-wheel-drive system that was intended for the 959, and it was replaced by the 959 in 1985.
Porsche 953 at a glance
| Maker | Porsche, Stuttgart |
|---|---|
| Built for | the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally |
| Based on | Porsche 911 |
| Drive | four-wheel drive, manually controlled |
| Engine | 6-cylinder, 300 bhp |
| Weight | 1,247 kg |
| Suspension | heavily strengthened for the rally |
| Entered | three cars |
| Result | one overall victory |
| Replaced by | Porsche 959, from 1985 |
The English Wikipedia article on the 953 is very short; this page follows it closely and adds nothing beyond it.
History of the Porsche 953
The 953 was a short-lived model, built for one purpose: the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally. It was a 911 modified so heavily that little of the original car’s behaviour remained, with a suspension strengthened for desert stages and a body raised to cope with the terrain.
Its most important feature was the four-wheel-drive system. It was the developmental, manually controlled arrangement that Porsche intended to use on the 959, and it is the reason the 953 is sometimes called the 911 4×4. Power came from a 6-cylinder engine of 300 bhp, and the car weighed 1,247 kg, which together with the long-travel suspension made it very effective on the rally.
Three cars were entered in the 1984 Paris–Dakar, and one of them took overall first place. The model did not last: in 1985 it was replaced by the 959, the road car that inherited its four-wheel-drive technology and became the more famous of the two.
Design and features
- Four-wheel drive: the manually controlled system developed for the 959.
- Rally suspension: heavily strengthened for the Paris–Dakar stages.
- 300 bhp flat-six: enough power for desert racing at 1,247 kg.
- One-season car: built for 1984 and replaced by the 959 in 1985.
Porsche 953 versions
- 953 (1984): the three Paris–Dakar cars, one of them an overall winner.
- 959 (1985): the production successor with the developed four-wheel-drive system.
The 953 was built from the Porsche 911 and replaced by the Porsche 959. More cars are in the Porsche collection.
Sources
- Porsche 953, English Wikipedia: purpose, four-wheel drive, engine, rally result
