This Porsche 964 Dakar Rally Raid was present at the rallye Pionniers Classic 2024
It was at this competition that the Porsche 964 made its first moves in preparation for the Dakar Classic rally. The first drive, the first time Axel took control with his co-driver, the builder (Nantes Prestige Autos – France) who created this magnificent car. Let me introduce you to it.
A dream, a Porsche Rally Raid for the Dakar
Porsches had their golden years in the Dakar rally as early as 1984 with three cars entered and René Metge’s first-place finish. At the time, they were 953 models, and later, the 959 Rothmans appeared in 1985 with little success, but in 1986, they won (again with René Metge driving).
Porsches in 1984 at the Paris Dakar
- 176 – René Metge / Dominique Lemoyne – Porsche 911 type 953 – 1st
- 175 – Jacky Ickx / Claude Brasseur – Porsche 911 type 953 – 6th
- 177 – Roland Kussmaul / Erich Lerner – Porsche 911 type 953 – 26th
Porsches in 1986 at the Paris Dakar
- 1st – René Metge / Dominique Lemoyne
- 2nd – Jacky Ickx / Claude Brasseur
- 6th – Roland Kussmaul / Wolf-Hendrik Unger
40 years later, enthusiasts of these iconic cars still exist. Axel is one of them. At 65, after a well-established career in the perfume industry, mainly in the Middle East, Axel decided to fulfill his dreams.
With a father passionate about mechanics, karting, hill climbing in an R8 Gordini, and other vehicles, Axel was raised surrounded by the sounds of engines, the smell of tires, and gasoline. When he was 40 years old, in Dubai, he started quad biking in the desert with a group of friends. Weekends were spent exploring the region’s beautiful dunes. But in parallel, he also had a love for Porsches, participated in asphalt competitions, and was part of the local Porsche club. After his first purchase in 2005, he owned a 996 Turbo S, a 996 GT3, a 991 Targa, and then returned to older models, including a 964 Cabriolet and a 911 2.0 l FIA. Still, the world of off-roading and the arrival of the Dakar Classic strongly intrigued him. He started researching, seeing what had been done before, and thought he might have a Porsche built to tackle the tracks. Motivated by passion rather than to compete with top rally raid drivers, he set himself this challenge. Drawn to the challenge and the myth of both Dakar and Porsche, he decided to contact Jérémy Athimon of Nantes Prestige Autos, who had already built rally 959 models.
After several contacts and a trip to France to meet him, the project was launched. Axel, as he told me, felt like a kid again. He tried a 959, and left with stars in his eyes and dreams in his head. Meanwhile, he contacted Ride & Roll, a company that manages Gulf Oil licenses, and presented the project to them. They were intrigued by the idea and decided to get involved.
So, the Porsche project officially began in February 2024, with the goal of participating in the Rallye Pionniers Classic as a warm-up before the Dakar. Since Jérémy had already gained experience with his previous builds, he was able to apply it to this new order.
After the rally, there will be further improvements, but the car was born well. Plans include reinforcing the ski and making a few adjustments, such as pressurizing the car to prevent dust from entering.
Porsche 964 4×4 Rally Raid preparation
Jérémy Athimon, the builder of this beautiful machine, started as a motorcycle mechanic but has always been passionate about classic cars. At 16, he bought a Porsche 911 that had been stored in a barn near his house. He spent months restoring it. In 2007, he was awarded the title of France’s Best Apprentice. He also worked on a VW Combi. One day, he met a client at the motorcycle garage where he worked, who owned a stunning collection of old cars. The client offered to help him set up a workshop and promised to be his first client to take care of his collection. Over the years, Jérémy has focused primarily on Porsches.
In parallel, Jérémy has a passion for the desert and rally raids. With a friend, he regularly goes quad biking in Morocco. He combines desert adventures and mechanics with a Baja Bug VW, participating in the VW Africa rally. Two months later, he was contacted by another racer to join the Dakar Classic with a Sunhill Buggy from the first edition of the Paris Dakar rally.
After this adventure, Jérémy decided to build his first rally raid Porsche, a 911. He found a 3.2L for €25,000, which was driven by his friend from the Sunhill Buggy team, with Jérémy as his co-driver. They finished 9th overall. The Porsche was later sold to finance future vehicles: two 953s and two 959s, the “Rothmaus” models, designed like the famous Rothmans cars of the time.
Then came his encounter with Axel and the beginning of the 964 DAKAR GULF project.
Jérémy had the opportunity to visit the Porsche Museum and access cars from that era for inspiration.
After finding a 1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 (which had participated in the Tour de Corse), it was time to head to the workshop. Initially, everything was stripped down. A custom safety roll cage was installed, accounting for the space needed to fit the large spare wheel that had to go through the rear window. The cage was made of 25cd4s steel with 50 and 40 mm diameters. Additional reinforcements were added from the roll cage to the front and rear shock mounts.
The heart of this Porsche is a 3.6 FLAT 6 engine reworked at Nantes Prestige Autos. The camshafts were re-profiled for more torque, and a hot-wire intake kit was installed to remove the original mass airflow sensor. The dual ignition system was revamped, and the internal belt was made 25% wider. A racing exhaust system was mounted. For the flywheel and clutch, parts from a 997 GT3 were used. The gearbox oil pump is connected to a radiator with a fan located in the rear wing. The engine oil cooler is located in the rear spoiler with two fans for additional cooling.
Engine: 3.6 FLAT 6
The 5-speed gearbox is designed to pull short, as high-speed performance isn’t necessary. Top speed is around 160 km/h. The original gearbox casing was kept, but everything else was reworked by Marrel and Pelin. The first gear is super short, allowing the car to crawl at 10 km/h at 1000 RPM to handle challenging and rocky sections.
The body was then prepared for reinforcement, with numerous strategic reinforcements applied to key structural points, while intentionally keeping weak points at certain areas to act as fuses in case of impact.
A long skid protects the underside of the Porsche.
The body underwent a thorough shot blasting before welding work. The wheel arches were reworked to accommodate the large 245/75R16 wheels, requiring handmade modifications to the front and rear fenders. One week per fender was spent to achieve the desired shape and width, as well as to maximize shock absorber travel without rubbing.
Once the body was finished, it was sent for cathodic dip treatment to prevent rust.
Inside the car
- The dashboard was designed specifically for the rally, including necessary safety features like racing bucket seats and harnesses.
- A Terratrip rally computer was installed, along with space to mount a tablet and Stella unit.
Next, the car received a full paint job, and Raptor-type protection was applied underneath.
For suspension, Jérémy turned to P2S. The decision was made to use four P2S 3-way shock absorbers developed specifically for the car, with 250mm of travel. The Porsche’s ground clearance is 40 cm.
For braking, the original system was kept, with only the ABS removed.
A 100L fuel tank was installed to feed the engine, with plans to upgrade to a 120L tank for longer specials.
Wheels & tires
To optimize spare tires (one inside the cabin and one under the front hood), the front and rear wheels are the same size.
As you can see, the rear window is easily removed to access the spare tire, although it requires a bit of maneuvering.
A second spare tire is located under the front hood.
The Raid wheels, reminiscent of the classic Fuchs wheels on old Porsches, are paired with BF Goodrich AT KO2 mixed tires.
Weight
The total weight of the 964 DKR is 1300 kg, including a full tank and both spare wheels.
Rallye Pionniers Classic
Jeremy talks about the Rallye Pionniers Classic
“It’s a great rally. I went there relaxed, just to test the car before Dakar, no stress. But we quickly realized that it’s really tough; it’s a real rally. It’s difficult but enjoyable. In terms of difficulty, it’s just as hard as a Dakar Classic, so it was perfect to assess the car. The finish in the canyon and the Blank Page was unforgettable! There weren’t too many participants, but it deserves to have more competitors, especially since everything is organized so well—the organization, the helicopter, the medics, it’s all top-notch. It’s truly a real race and it’s not far off from Dakar. We would also like to take part in the Africaniste Race, and what we love about rallying is sharing the human adventure with the driver.”
Axel Says
“I was lucky at the Rallye Pionniers Classic to have both a great co-driver and the builder of the car with me, in the form of Jeremy. He managed to help us out when we had an issue with the gear linkage, and all he had was a Leatherman knife!”
“It was a pleasure to take part in this race with a slightly different car, a real adventurer’s car. Everyone on site is friendly—organizers, drivers, mechanics. The atmosphere is great; it’s healthy and it’s very important to be in a good environment. It’s relaxed, but we’re still focused on the race. I had a great team with a second mechanic for the evening revisions, a real dreamcast team. I’m not used to rocky terrain but rather the sand. Here, we hit some rough stuff, but thankfully, the ski was there. It was a bit tough, but actually, it’s a bonus. I learned a lot, like reading the track and being a bit like a sniper, always keeping an eye out. Looking ahead, staying focused, knowing how to drive by sight when needed, reading the colors of the track.”
“You really have to acquire a certain technique to avoid damaging the car. It’s incredibly robust. We didn’t touch the engine except for the filters. It could almost use a sixth gear, and the torque is amazing. The power is more than enough with its 300 hp. You get the feeling of surfing when it’s sandy, it’s incredible. I enjoyed the varied terrain; it’s a change from what I usually do in the sand. Here, we had oueds, rocky terrain, fesh fesh—it’s technical and fun at the same time. I also really liked the conductor Philippe Rey, the teams, and the competitors. I would definitely do it again, especially since I love meeting people from different backgrounds and nationalities. It was great meeting teams from different countries here. I would recommend this rally to European drivers who are fans of classics.”
