CarBuzz recently spoke with Frank Moser, Vice President of the 911 and 718 model lines for Porsche, at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show. Moser was the perfect person to fill us in on the just-revealed 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar, a new off-road variant of the legendary sports car. This is the most out-of-the-box 911 we've seen in recent years, so we instantly questioned how it performs compared to its conventional siblings.

Obviously, the Dakar won't be as quick around a racetrack as a standard 911 Carrera due to its tall ride height and specially-designed all-terrain tires, but don't go thinking this car isn't capable on the road. "The lap time is the same as a 996 generation GT3 on the Nurburgring," said Moser. To put that into perspective, a 996 GT3 lapped the Green Hell in seven minutes and 54 seconds, while a new 992 GTS can do it in 7:25.632.

Porsche currently owns the record for the fastest naturally aspirated production car with the latest GT3 RS, which set a time of 6:49.328. But the Dakar isn't really about chasing such lap times.

This car uses the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six engine found in a 911 Carrera GTS producing 473 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. "The GTS is the sweet spot in the 911 lineup," Moser explained when asked why Porsche chose this specific powertrain for the Dakar. As for whether or not Porsche would ever build a faster version, Moser left it open for interpretation.

"We are limited from the factory. 2,500 units is higher than we've made on previous special edition cars, but we will see how customers react," he said. We imagine those units will sell out quickly, and Porsche may have no choice but to offer another lifted 911 in the future.

We'd love to see a 911 Dakar with the 640-hp engine from a 911 Turbo S, but the GTS power seems plenty for an off-road application. According to Moser, the Dakar features special upgrades compared to a standard Carrera GTS, including a "cooling system from the Turbo S" and "specific all-wheel-drive software."

Porsche didn't comment on how many units out of 2,500 will be allocated to the United States, but Moser did inform us of a few options that won't be available here. "A roll cage is available in Europe as part of a Sport rally package," he said. Sadly, US regulations prevent Porsche from offering it here. Moser also mentioned that a comfort seat option is available in the car, but owners can not add a back seat because "the pump for the suspension is positioned back there."

Pricing for the 2023 911 Dakar starts at $222,000 before the dealers add hefty markups. Porsche says units are technically still available, though we imagine by the time you are reading this, that may no longer be the case.