Sobieslaw Zasada Wins 1968 London-Sydney Marathon AUS.
The esteemed automobile manufacturer Porsche has commemorated its 75th anniversary festivities with the release of the 911 Dakar RED58 Special. As a passionate tribute to Sobieslaw Zasada, prominently considered one of the most venerated Polish rally racers, this model salutes Zasada’s accomplishments.
For a quick retrospective, Zasada was one of the gutsiest racers to embark on the gruelling London to Sydney Marathon in 1968. During the awe-inspiring 3,400-mile event, the Polish rally ace scooped the top prize in the Australian leg with an armoured, air-cooled Porsche 911.
After their victory, the car was sold in Australia but mysteriously disappeared – until 2021, when it was uncovered by Polish documentarians Andrzej Slazak and Wojciech Jureck. Their remarkable feat was documented in a movie titled “Red 58”, which followed their journey to find the wreck and restore it to its original condition.
The recently unveiled 911 Dakar RED58 special was created as a one-off tribute to the iconic 911, under Porsche’s Sonderwunsch customization program. Externally, it is adorned with a vibrant Blood Orange paint job, “Poland” lettering on its rear cover, and the number “58” on its doors. Additionally, it features a chrome plate on its B-pillar, which is signed by Zasada and displays the Polish flag.
Due to limited time, the notorious brand conceded that it was unable to make an identical copy of the distinctive body colour using its Paint to Sample Plus Scheme. Therefore, the car was treated to a manual varnish (clear coat) treatment.
Inside the 911 Dakar, nods to Zasada and his classic air-cooled 911 are evident with embossed “58” symbols on the headrests, as well as the rally driver’s embossed signature on the front cabin armrest. Furthermore, LED projector lights on the doors display the London-Sydney Marathon logo.
Of course, the sporty automobile comes with a range of accessories appropriate for its rally styling. Equipped with roof rails, retrieval attachments, a roll cage and two bucket seats relaxingly displaying a houndstooth pattern similar to Porsche Design’s ultra-scarce gaming seat. Furthermore, the renown company unveiled a Porsche watch crafted from titanium carbide – an apparently lighter material than titanium itself.
Porsche declined to state whether the RED58 specific experienced any mechanical modifications, but it probably retains the 473-horsepower twin-turbo boxer-six motor, off-road wheels, and higher-riding stance found on the ordinary 911 Dakar. They have not disclosed anything regarding its price tag, yet we imagine it is going to be unreasonably expensive; after all it’s a distinct one-off version similar to the Porsche 911 Legacy Club Coupe.
