PORSCHE WORLD MOURNS PASSING OF PARIS-DAKAR WINNER, RENE METGE
With his incredible driving skills and a custom four-wheel-drive 911 beneath him, René Metge challenged the desert and won. Over the course of almost ten thousand kilometres, he had to overcome many obstacles, not least torrid heat and a brutal bone-dry course.
Of the 313 cars starting the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, only ninety-eight made it to the finishing line, but after nineteen days of battling the competition – and the elements – Metge made it to Lac Rose with a winning time of 16:58'55”. For Metge's friends, family and fans, not to mention Porsche, it was standout performance lasting long in the memory.
Metge's win came as a surprise to some, who didn't expect to see him rolling up to the starting line in a custom 911 on 1st January 1984. The Porsche stood out from most of the rally cars present that day. Little wonder: it was a modified Carrera 3.2, specifically designed to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally. This wasn't Metge's first rodeo, though. He'd competed in the race before and knew what the course had in store. With this in mind, he knew the modified 911 he was driving would help him to defy the conditions.
For 1984, the rally's route had been
