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1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar Rally Car Can Be Yours for a Lot of Money

In the earliest years of the 911, Porsche entered works and customer cars in rallies such as Monte Carlo and track races such as Le Mans. Later on, however, the German automaker doubled down on Group B.
1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014) 31 photos
Photo: Joe Macari
Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)Jacky Ickx's 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally car (chassis 010014)
The 959 wasn’t ready for production and homologation in time, though, and this left Porsche with the Paris-Dakar Rally and the 953. Three cars finished the grueling event in 1984, and next year, legendary racer Jacky Ickx raced the wheels off the 959 that Joe Macari is currently offering for sale.

Chassis number 010014 was entered as #185 in the 1985 rally, and it’s one-of-three examples with the 3.2-liter Carrera engine out of a total of seven development vehicles. “The car held the overall lead in the race until late in the 8th stage when it struck a large rock hidden in the sand,” forcing Ickx and co-pilot Claude Brasseur to retire. Porsche didn’t repair the damaged body shell or the wear and tear of the interior, retaining this scarred 959 until 2014.

A private collector subsequently bought number 010014, and Gunnar Racing in Florida repaired the front end and brought the car back to working order without removing the Paris-Dakar patina from so long old. Shown at various events from 2015 to 2018 and exhibited at the Peterson Museum on the German automaker’s 70th anniversary, the vehicle is described as “a significant piece of Porsche development history” and a true collectible.

The selling vendor doesn’t put a price on this incredibly rare all-wheel-drive machine, but it does mention 4,400 miles on the odometer. “This car would surely crown any Porsche collection and would be welcomed with open arms into vintage racing, concours, and Porsche events worldwide.”

One of the most significant technological feats of the 959 program is the Porsche-Steuer Kupplung – also known as the PSK. Capable of distributing the six-cylinder engine’s torque between the front and rear axles in normal and slip condition, the all-wheel-drive system could send as much as 80 percent of the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to the rear wheels under hard acceleration.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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