2023 Porsche 911 Dakar Was Almost Called ‘Safari’ until It Wasn’t

• The 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar is named after the famous Dakar Rally, but it was originally going to be called the Safari 911.
• Indian automaker Tata Motors holds the copyright to the Safari name and refuses to allow Porsche to use it.
• To use the Dakar name, Porsche needs permission from the organizers of the Dakar Rally and has to pay an undisclosed sum for the rights.

Porsche naming its new off-road oriented 911 after the Dakar Rally makes sense. After all, it is one of motorsport’s most famous events. However, what some people may not know is that the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar was almost called the Safari 911. That was until it wasn’t.

Name Game

Since its inception in 1978, the Dakar Rally has earned a reputation for demanding vehicles and drivers. Take the example of Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Sr., 60 years old. This year, he won a stage, had a tire come off his car, and ended up breaking his spine in a flip. However, in 1984, Porsche managed to win the rally outright with the 911—adding a touch of company history to the name.

Despite all that, Dakar was not Porsche’s first naming choice. Instead, the company originally wanted to call it the 911 Safari, according to Seriesmotor. Unfortunately, the Safari name is not available, as it is still locked behind a copyright owned by the Indian automaker Tata, which produces an SUV called the Safari.

“We talked to them [Tata],” 911 Dakar program director Thomas Krickelberg told Seriesmotor. “But they didn’t give us permission for that. That was option A. And then we moved on to Dakar.”

A Wavy Journey

With the Safari name no longer in use, Porsche was left to find another title that was equally as exciting. That’s when Porsche landed in Dakar. However, in another unfortunate turn of events, that nickname was also taken away. So, the German automaker had to jump through a few hoops.

To use the Dakar name, Porsche had to obtain permission from the organizers of the Dakar Rally (the Amaury Sports Organization or ASO), which owns the rights to it in an automotive context. Porsche later had to pay the organization an undisclosed sum so it could borrow the name. That’s when the Porsche 911 Dakar was born.

“Then it went smoothly,” Krickelberg joked Seriesmotor.