Ref 7
Ex-Paris-Dakar Rally Raid
1985 Porsche 911 4x4
Registration Number: N/A Chassis Number: 914 44005
One of the all time great sports cars, the Porsche 911 has become a legend on both road and track during an illustrious career spanning over three decades; introduced in 1963, production continues to this day. Over the years the monocoque 911 with its independent torsion bar front and trailing arm rear suspension, and superb air-cooled flat-six cylinder engine, grew in engine capacity and power, and its derivatives remain a dominant force in competition.
It was back in 1981 that the first four wheel drive 911 was displayed as a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car’s experimental transmission system was destined for the forthcoming 959 supercar and it was decided to enter a trio of so-equipped works 911s in the Paris-Dakar Rally Raid in 1984, a vehicle-hammering 7,500 mile race for cars, motorbikes and lorries starting in the French capital, and traversing the formidable terrain of both the Sahara and Tenere deserts, before finishing in the Senegalese capital. Porsche entered three examples of its new 953 in the 1984 Paris-Dakar and from a field of 500 purpose-built vehicles, the car driven by Rene Metge/Dominic Lemayne triumphed with a resounding debut victory some two hours and eighteen minutes ahead of the second placed Range Rover, strongly backed up by the 953s of Jacky Ickx/Claude Brasseur in sixth place and Roland Kussmaul/Erich Lerner in 26th position.
Concurrent with the Frankfurt Motor Show concept car, however, had been an independently developed four wheel drive 911 built by JCD Sport at its Toulouse base over 1981/1982. Proprietor Jean-Claude Dayraut had asked Porsche for parts to convert a standard 911 but the factory refused and JCD instead developed its own four wheel drive system using a combination of in-house engineered components together with some from other manufacturers. Over the next two years three JCD four wheel drive cars competed successfully in several Spanish Baja events with the lead car driven by Dayraut and a best result of a second place overall.
Sponsored by international agency AIR, this particular car also took part in the 1985 Paris-Dakar in which it ran as high as second place overall before injury to its co-driver forced retirement; later that year chassis 914 44003 also competed in the Baja Saragosse. Another entry, again driven by Dayraut, in the Paris-Dakar was made in 1986 and, now with backing from ACTO RESTORE, the Porsche won the first stage but would retire at half distance after sinking in quicksand; notably the highest placed works Porsche was in tenth place at the same point with a 959, after which Porsche’s engineers showed great interest in the JCD car’s four wheel drive system which had proved to be much more effective than their own!. The same year saw 914 44003 entered in the Rallye de L’Atlas, finishing in 17th place, after a navigation error, prior to contesting several baja events between 1987 and ’89, the results ranging from second to fifth places overall. Following a complete overhaul, this 911 4x4 then had the considerable honour of officially opening the 1995 Paris-Dakar Rally Raid.
Finished in its period livery from the 1986 event, this extremely rare four wheel drive 911 is one of the only two surviving JCD Sport cars. Purchased direct from Jean-Claude Dayraut Sport by the vendor in September 2006, the car, which has its original French registration papers, has remained until now in a private collection in Germany. Subsequently and meticulously re-painted in the correct livery 914 44003 carried on the 1986 Paris-Dakar, the car is offered in original condition – even down to desert sand inside the cockpit –and in running order although re-commissioning of the fuel tanks and fuel pipes will be required prior to any competition use.
The sale of this Porsche, which comes complete with a history file, including press cuttings and photographs of its entry in the 1985 and 1988 Paris-Dakar Rally Raids, represents an opportunity to acquire an important part of Porsche competition history and one that has the potential to be highly competitive in historic events.
Dieser historisch bedeutende Porsche wurde von JCD (Jean Claude Dayraut) mit einem eigenen Allradantrieb entwickelt, nachdem das Porsche-Werk ihm hierfür die Teile verweigerte. Der Wagen wurde erfolgreich auf der 1985 Rally Paris – Dakar eingesetzt, bis eine Verletzung des Beifahrers diesem Einsatz ein frühes Ende bereitete. Er wurde daraufhin wieder bei der Paris – Dakar 1986 gefahren und errang einen Etappensieg der 1. Etappe, blieb dann aber leider im Treibsand stecken. Das Allradsystem war allerdings so gut, dass sich auch die Porsche-Ingenieure dafür interessierten, da jas JCD –System erfolgreicher war als die werkseigenen 959. Seit 2006 befindet sich der Wagen in einer deutschen Sammlung und wurde dirket von JCD erworben. Der Porsche wurde neu lackiert in den korrekten Farben der 1986 Paris-Dakar und ist nach Angaben des Besitzers fahrbereit. Ein wirklich seltenes und interessantes Stück der Porsche-Geschichte.
Refer Department
