How an Indian manufacturer stopped Porsche from using the Safari name for its most famous car

Porsche

presented its 911 Dakar in the last stretch of 2022, a stylish and off-road version of one of the most famous sports cars in automotive history.

But that was not going to be his name.

Probably many will be surprised that such a version appears.

However, part of the 911's fame comes from its triumphs in rally-cross competitions during the 1980s, when it even became

in 1984 and 1986.

So why wouldn't the name Dakar be the right one for this new version of the 911?

Because, actually, those competition models from the 80s were better known by the Safari moniker.

The new Porsche 911 Dakar, in front;

Behind it is the 911 that won the toughest rally in 1984.

So great was the identification with that name, that all the restorations or transformations that were made on classic 911 models that were intended to be suitable for driving off-road were known as

.

What's more, the original idea of ​​the German brand was to baptize this brand new version with that name.

But the Indian manufacturer Tata Motors had to say something about it.

that name is mine

The Stuttgart brand had been hinting for some time with the possibility of having a 911 off-road in its range.

And the confirmation came officially last year.

Before knowing the definitive version of the 911 Dakar, Porsche, in collaboration with the pilot Romain Dumas, faced a journey with two specially prepared 911s towards the Ojos del Salado volcano, in Chile, the highest in the world.

The Porsche 911 Dakar was presented last November at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Dumas and his team

above sea level.

And although it did not end up being a record (it is in the hands of two Mercedes-Benz Unimogs), it was quite a feat for the type of vehicle used.

A few weeks after the fact became known, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche presented the final version of its 911 Dakar.

That apparition did not attract attention, but the decision to bear that name did.

It has just been confirmed that the name initially chosen for this off-road version was Safari.

In an interview with

, 911 Dakar project manager Thomas Krickelberg explained that the company originally

.

But the company discovered that it would run into a trademark that was already registered: that of Tata Motors' Safari SUV.

Tata Safari, the model of the Indian brand that prevented Porsche from using its name.

The owner of Jaguar and Land Rover has been marketing this midsize model in different markets around the world since 1998. And it was not willing to give up that name.

“We talked to them,” Krickelberg confessed.

“But they didn't give us permission to use it.

That was option A. And then we switched to Dakar.”

But that decision was going to bring

to the German brand.

The rights to that name, when used in an automotive context, belong to the Amaury Sports Organization, better known as ASO, which is the organizer of the Dakar Rally.

The Porsche 911 Dakar is ready to "run" off the road.

Initially they thought they would be free to use the name, since Dakar is the name of a city and is therefore in the public domain.

But ultimately he needed permission from the ASO and had to pay a price for the rights, which was not disclosed.

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