One of these cars won the Paris-Dakar Rally, and the other is simply an homage. The modern Dakar may have 7.5 inches of ground clearance, all-wheel-drive, Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires with reinforced sidewalls, but just look at the two cars side-by-side.

The 953 makes the 2023 Dakar look… cute. Once again, Porsche never provided figures for the rally car, but we know it was heavily modified. It had dual shock absorbers, rugged engine mounts, and Kevlar plates to protect its belly. Several components were also made from carbon fiber, including the fenders, trunk lid, and spoilers.

The rally car did not have an AWD system. It had a full-fat manually-adjustable 4WD system. The drivers could race in RWD in certain places, as the weight of the rear-mounted engine provided more than enough grip.

Here’s another interesting tidbit for you. Porsche obviously put a 4WD system in the 953 to win the rally, but also to develop the AWD system that would eventually feature in the iconic 959.