The CRAZIEST thing Porsche ever did!

[@FicarraClassic]

I hope everyone enjoys this little snippet of geeky car history! It's one of my favorites. Viva the Paris-Dakar! Viva VINwiki! Viva Roland Kussmaul!

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

Your history stories on this channel are fantastic, to the point that, a couple years ago, I actually used your 1965 LeMans video as an example for good storytelling in a school project.

[@RXNFS]

Hey, you're probably already aware of this but you mentioning that G-Wagen reminded me of a video I saw earlier this year. I don't know if it's the same one or a second that was built, but it looks like Porsche still own that G-Wagen! Top Gear's YT released a video about Porsche's "secret stash" about 7 months ago, and it's there. Might also be fun to build another one? 🤔 Thanks for yet another insightful story, I really do love these!

[@slappomatthew]

I grew up watching old Paris -dakar videos with my dad and brother on vhs. I’d love to get some of those old videos to watch. 80s dakar was the greatest race of all times

[@drtone]

00⁰​@@thestarlightalchemist7333

[@marcrains3832]

Great history lesson, thank you!

[@Sean-John]

John's stories are the best and id bet he never runs out of them. He's basically a walking automotive encyclopedia.

[@rasco-chris]

He knows so much about everything. Always a joy listening to him

[@tomkopp2115]

John Ficarra porsche stories are the best, thanks john and everyone!

[@EdBolian]

Everything about this is amazing. Well told John.

[@FicarraClassic]

Thanks Ed! And thanks for letting me share it on VINwiki!

[@ZagatoZee]

That G Wagon sits proudly in the Porsche museum. Stands out for sure, but looks amazing and deserves to be there.

[@DerUnbbekante]

As a truck guy, I found the pictures with the 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 support vehicles very interesting. They are all of a prototype 8x8 for the Austrian army that never went into production and most of the 4x4s and 6x6s trucks are very rare KAT III. Like 60ish built as far as i know. I did not know many of those pics. Thank you for including them!

[@Hendric-07]

They are MANs. They are not rare. German Army used them for decades, still does. 4x4 5 Tonner, 6x6 7.5 Tonner, 8x8 10 Tonner. I served 😉

[@DerUnbbekante]

@@Hendric-07 Klar gab es zu ihrer Blütezeit ein paar Tausend KATs bei der BW, aber von den 8x8 SLKW gab es exakt zwei Prototypen für die Österreicher. Der eine, der die Dakar mitgefahren ist, wurde anschließend bei Unicat zum Wohnmobil umgebaut und in den nahen Osten verschifft. Seitdem hat man von den beiden Fahrzeugen nichts mehr gehört. Die KAT III (also normales KAT-Chassis aber mit wassergekühltem R6 und zivilem Fernfahrerhaus) sind auch rare af. Da gibt es eine Handvoll, von denen der Verbleib bekannt ist. Dem entsprechend immer schön, wenn man (für einen persönlich) neue hochauflösende Bilder von den Kfz zu sehen bekommt.

[@greigmackay8465]

A friend of my brother's used to drive one of the support trucks on the Paris Dakar. When the team disbanded, that he drove for, he ended up buying the truck and still has it to this day 😎

[@yvesstocky9936]

@@greigmackay8465 which one is it?

[@greigmackay8465]

@@yvesstocky9936 I don't know, I would have to ask my brother. As I haven't seen it. The guy that has the truck also did support on the camel trophy too as he is really into land rovers as well.

[@VictorRivera1]

John Ficarra is the best VINwiki storyteller ever! I truly enjoy every video that features him on this channel.

[@OneOut1]

Have you forgotten Rabbit ? RIP RABBIT!!

[@VictorRivera1]

True, Rabbit was also a great storyteller. RIP 🙏

[@dompdgaf]

I see John Ficarra, I click , I like, never a question.

[@jus__gra]

Knew by the title it would be John Ficcarra sitting in that chair 😄

[@GM55_Manilock]

5:23 We need a story on the Proto-trucks, they were faster than a group b car on the flat zones. search Dakar Truck vs Group B car 1987

[@0783155]

They were wild and unfortunately also a bad accident happened. They had gone too far. My company still uses the trucks for promotional work. They roar past my office very often.

[@edh7492]

That footage of the DAF turbotwin racing and apparently catching the Peugeot 405 T16 concludes with the car leaving the truck behind in the end.

[@GM55_Manilock]

@edh7492 DAF:hold my diesel

[@lesflynn4455]

Fantastic story Mr Ficarra. Thanks for telling it. In Australia we started to get highlights packages on SBS TV in the mid 80s. I'll never forget the vision of Rothmans sponsored Porsches bouncing across the desert at 220kmh. Followed by large trucks doing 160!

[@SimuLord]

Happiness is a Ficarra appearance on VinWiki.

[@Jerryvtr1730]

I'm from belgium and to us (belgian car people) jacky is a legend. Met him last year next to the porsche at the brussels autoworld.great guy great car 🔥🔥🔥

[@oneslow8658]

Take a shot everytime he says 959

[@pmx2384]

Underrated comment

[@ResistanceMafia1]

Im only 3 minutes in and 6 shots down😵‍💫

[@jkent9915]

I prefer life.

[@runsi174]

I much prefer DAF Paris-Dakar story but this one is great because John Ficcara is telling it.

[@kylesonsalla7620]

Not many more awesome videos than that big 4x4 Super Diesel running down a rally car across the desert.

[@Tyindel]

Yep the Turbo Twin is possibly the craziest vehicle to race the dakar, if it wasn't for the video footage, i wouldnt believe if you told me that a truck was capable of keeping pace with a modified Group B rally car

[@runsi174]

@@kylesonsalla7620 that rally car was Peugeot 405 T16, another great one.

[@vincentstuer]

That daf was the peak of rally trucks in my opinion, totally crazy

[@gauravjoshi6310]

John the story was worthwhile. Thanks for sharing the story that was worth of waiting, the delay for getting to this story from you is forgiven in instance 😊

[@Vinenz]

YAS. Another Ficarra video. My favorite storyteller.

[@wigglepuppy]

I live up the street from Canepa and I've seen so many 959s running around for decades. At one point, we counted a bunch of visqueen'd 959s that were being unwrapped and started up. We calculated that we were looking at 20% of all 959s ever produced. This was something I was very excited to see as I was stationed in the 80s in West Germany and once drove behind a flatbed on the Autobahn that had a 959 strapped to it, headed on A8 towards Stuttgart. I fell in love with that car and I'm so glad to see them running around town every so often.

[@biff85ta2]

A John Ficarra story is a story I don't miss. It's not even usually stuff in my wheelhouse but it's usually history being told by someone truly knowledgeable about the subject and passionate which makes it interesting.

[@ckm-mkc]

I remember this clearly as I was living in France at the time - I eventually bought a Pajero (Montero) because of my memories of this time, can't afford a 959 ;-)

[@KGdoingthings]

My Monday just got better

[@Dale_Ross97]

Ficarra is getting to Rabbit level of story telling

[@twr41cox]

John is my favorite storyteller on the channel. Thanks guys!

[@ruipacheco2939]

Yes, John Ficarra as the storyteller! Well done, Monsieur, well done! And thanks for that bit of trivia regarding the G Wagon and the 928 ;). Cheers from Portugal

[@Alkemyst426]

John Ficarra = WATCH IT NOW! And I wasn't disappointed AGAIN...love these stories...

[@floyd_v10]

I thought this looked interesting from the thumbnail, knew it was going to be good when I saw John! Love these stories

[@NCCoder]

Duke has an amazing video series covering each of the "glory" years individually. I was a teenager during said glory years and rally raid was a thing. Such great years to be a fan.

[@DrewskisBrews]

This story deserves a full-length book! (If it hasn't already been written? )

[@Hendric-07]

Always great stuff ! Keep it up ! - They‘re doing a Dakar Classic now alongside the serious race. You see some Rothmans cars there. I think it’s fun. Cheers from Germany.

[@EgyptianSahara]

Enjoyed that alot Mr Ficarra. Thank you. Rallye Des Pharaons, first came to life in 1981. Long demanding stages for 2 weeks, a mini Dakar Rally. All sorts of terrain one would see on the way from Paris to Dakar is found in Egypt. There is a well known story that Saeed AlHajri the Qatari driver, had bet/challenged the filming/organization helicopter pilot, in his 959 on one of the stages, as he knew the helicopter had a top speed of 300 kph, and he had some information about it being a high speed stage. This was how fast the 959s went in the 86" Rallye Des Pharaons in Wadi Qena in the Easter desert of Egypt. The name of the Rally itself changed over the years due to ownership, later became Pharoahs Rally with its last edition being 2015. I was a copilot in the 2007 edition in a Cotel Buggy with a PRV engine. The rally in 2007 was 7 stages roughly 3000 km in total compared to the golden years when it was 7-8k km. Cheers from North Africa

[@youtube-handle-are-a-joke]

As a kid every year I was watching the race, I remember a 959 hitting a very large rock hidden behind a small dune a the car coming out with a massive toe in, I can't remember which race or year it was though. In that helicopter crash was also the most popular and notorious French singer of the time Daniel Balavoine, in France it was a huge shock. I still remember watching on TV the search, the speculations, the hope of finding everybody alive, it lasted for hours. I used to know a racer who was there at the time, racing for the Land Rover team. He told me how everybody was devastated.

[@NadezhdaAndreeva-nt5ox]

This video is so cool! I could watch this all day!

[@PeterWilliamson-wr1db]

This is an epic story told by a legendary gentleman

[@RDEnduro]

I never knew about the 3.2 engines in the 959, enjoyed the story and want Roland interviewed! Can it happen?

[@ragereset2795]

He's still alive, Porsche just honoured him last year for his 80th birthday. The man from Baden-Württemberg was project and racing manager for the German Rally Championship in 1981. In just two months, Kussmaul built the 924 Carrera GTS for Walter Röhrl to race in the event. “The 20 years of working together with Roland was definitely one of the highlights of my life. He’s the best mechanic, engineer and driver that I’ve known,” says Röhrl, a big fan of Kussmaul’s. “He’s a very modest man. And everything he does makes perfect sense. I wish him health, and that he keeps his youthful drive and his roguish spirit.”

[@BigBisalreadytaken]

Seeing Canepa's shop with several 959s makes me so jealous of those that own one.

[@stirfryjedi]

John is 51% of the reasons why I stay subscribed to VinWiki

[@Tyindel]

Great video. Knew about the 959 and the dakar win but had no idea about the 4wd 911s. I had wondered why the 911 Dakar used 953 as the number for the design pack but finding out that porsche had built a 4wd 911 called the 953 and it won Dakar instantly explained the number on the 992 911 Dakar

[@christophermichaels]

Perfectly told as always my friend! I had plans to compete in this race in Malle Moto a few years ago and it remains the ultimate motorsports event of the world in my opinion.

[@Fredcougar73]

That video brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember going to see all the vehicles as a kid when they were going through France and watching the daily summary on TV after school.

[@lukeduke1212]

The 953 that Jacky Icks drove in 1984 was at the Eifel Rally Festival in Daun in Germany this year (with several other cool cars). Its not just a show where you can look at any car up close but they also drive them on several rally stages.

[@thechrisnels9955]

Mr. John ficarra rolls on here. Imma listen ❤❤

[@CraigSmith-qq3sr]

I had to click when it's a John WIKI Monday. Hello from Chattanooga Tn. 😊

[@jaykruze06]

Chills. Great story.

[@efariab3820]

John, Thanks for another great Porsche story ! It's always fun to listen to your charming knowledge on automotive history, especially when it comes to very special Porsches of the past . Best, Essy Fariab

[@roglar]

What an interesting story. I used to live and breath the Paris Dakar rally. It never was the same when it left Africa. I saw it in person once when it was in South America, and that was an experience. I utterly lost interest when it moved to Saudiarabia.

[@slappomatthew]

“Was” an amazing race. It was the greatest race of all time

[@kylemgregg]

This needs to be a movie. What a great story.

[@4huricane]

Jacky Ickx also Finished 7th and 5th in a Lada Samara back in 1990-1991 which had Porsche 959 driveline

[@tptrsn]

This was a really excellent piece of automotive history!

[@WillyPanama]

The Dakar isn't the same since they stopped running in Africa

[@kfa0]

there are many smaller rallies on similar african routes, you can do it yourself if you are brave enough :) for example the hungarian version is the Bamako Rally

[@edh7492]

Too dangerous, it’s got to be bad if they considered South America a safer option 😅

[@darkfather1152]

The best porsche storyteller of all time!

[@colinritchie1757]

John Ficarra improving US French relations since 2024

[@marvindebot3264]

Raids are the ultimate motorsport. Maybe not for spectators but for competitors and manufacturers, nothing beats a raid. If a car can survive that, let alone win it is a quality product. If a driver/navigator survives it, he/she is a superman. Motorsport in general builds heroes, raids build Gods.

[@TheCannonball79]

Love it John.😊

[@Mark_Proton]

John is rocking that moustache.

[@craigallen5092]

John is a great story teller

[@RogerAlan]

Of all the characters on vinwiki John is one I’d most like to have dinner with

[@jamiemiller7752]

Brilliant, what a great story. Been a true bobble hatter all my life and never knew this ❤

[@mason2me]

In general, I tend to bemoan the fact that the storytellers are never in the thumbnail. That being said, I am extremely proud of how often I correctly guess, "Oh that's gotta be a Ficarra story"

[@johngordon7513]

In the days of strong NATO there were many Porsche Club USA members in Europe, attending Factory Drivers Training on Tracks, best Pro Drivers teaching, palling around, joking. 1 of them was Roland, who spoke EN quite well. He had just returned from PD Ralley, had a lot to report.

[@Aislouumedia]

Definitely one of my favorite vin wiki videos!

[@guillermoperezsantos]

Jacky Ickx is the GOAT of all the GOATS, PERIOD

[@JustinGadue58]

I could listen to these stories for hours.. Motor Sports Back In The Day Is Absolutely Fascinating To Me!!

[@HugoCorreiabzk]

The Paris-Dakar rally, is one of the races i miss the most. I used to miss classes just to wacht the parts of the race they showed in the TV. Since it moved tô south América and now tô Arábia its not the same, it doesn't has the same kind of appel it used to had.

[@Secretcircuits]

Spelled Porsche wrong in the thumbnail

[@andrewfletcher5584]

Hmm, new VINwiki video, maybe lat.....wait, is that John?!? Fire that video up!!

[@Barry.ONeill]

Great story i love the 959 aswell but Not once did he say the first Dakar racers were Motorbike riders.

[@Bamsebrakar2011]

Us Europeans know the Paris-Dakar and Porsches participation over the years. Still, well told story. In 1981 a French RR Silver Shadow even took part in the Paris Dakar race, but did not finish.

[@aoife1122]

The Porsche 961 winning its Class at Le Mans in 1986 pales in comparison to 1970 when some French privateers had the funny idea to race Le Mans in a little Porsche 914. Not only did the "Baby Porsche" win its Class, it also put the entire armada of Porsche 911S to shame, finishing in P6 overall (only yielding to the "Big Boys", prototype-like Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512). 😉

[@bertelli1975]

If you want to learn more about the legend that is kussmaul, he's written a book - kussmauls chronicles. He's an old man now, but still owns the prototype 996 GT3 RS.

[@MilyaushaErmakov-f8x]

It’s obvious how much effort went into this!

[@yannjules]

@ficarraclassic Fun fact : I worked with Hubert Rigal some years ago, who finished 3rd in 1986. He used to tell nearly the same story, but it was « how I almost won twice in 1986 » : - when Sabine’s helicopter crashed in a sandstorm (killing 5, including singer Daniel Balavoine and Sabine), 2 of the 959s had broken axles, but the cancellation of the day’s timed section meant they didn’t lose their advance. - the infamous river crossing, as described. The Porsches lost nearly an hour to Rigal, who was patiently waiting after passing the mud through a different path.

[@Kxji]

Man I love cars and the stories attached to them!

[@mathai_9150]

If there is one car company you don't want to mess with, it's definitely Porsche

[@piotrmalewski8178]

The whole idea of using Porsche in African events was born in 1960s when Sobiesław Zasada kept repeating the circle of wanting to use 911 in a difficult rally like Acropolis, Safari or Gran Premio Argentino and Porsche responding each time 'it's impossible, our car can't last those'. Each time Zasada eventually managed to convince Porsche to give him a car. 911 would actually slowly disintegrate during the events, with welds cracking to pieces, but the car would reach the finish line either top 6, second or winning.

[@rogerama]

It is curious that, later on, they would return in a certain way, since a large part of those 959 would be used to build the "Soviet" Lada Samara.

[@somebloke2238]

7:40 I'm pretty sure that car is in Porsche's vault. Think I might have seen it in a seen through glass video.

[@FlintRiverAquatics]

Bro is rocking the Omni-Man look.

[@MongoFlowofConciousness]

I recall a Road&Track article about Goodwood(?) where the driver of the Rothman 959 passed another Porsche at speed on the inside in the dirt because he could.

[@etechjd8260]

Should talk about the lada niva ....the underdog touching the top

[@dougkirchberg1354]

Great job, John!

[@Kxji]

Those G Wagons were badass damn!

[@conradhenninger2209]

Here we go again. You know it's going to be a good one!

[@VINwiki]

What did you think of the second season of Rabbit's show on Netflix?

[@mathiashakonsson2448]

Lovely story, and what a nice way to honour those who sacrificed their time for other’s glory

[@ianwynne764]

Hello John: Thank you very much for this. I am a fan of you and Porsches. Have a really lovely day.

[@wcallen]

Great story, thanks for sharing

[@likenem]

Mr Ficarra, You should look up the Jeep wagoneer that got 4x4 banded in Rally. It was the reason why Audi had to get it unbanned.

[@CannonballCC]

Buckle up for another History lesson. No one does it better then John

[@daveblock4061]

I had a 930 at the time and followed the race the best we could back then.

[@skeetwebster9389]

Motor sport history is rad!!!

[@pepvwaning8551]

i always though't the 959 was developed for the Group B rally and they where then transfert to dakar duty....

[@TheLinkToEverything_RI]

Fantastic video! Thank you 🙏

[@fixingfuturememories]

I remember me and my dad watching it on I believe the speed channel. The channel that played the old commercials.

[@stejer211]

1:09 How Muricans still think how the French sound and act.

[@KittyPurrfect100]

I like the video about the curse of Oklahoma! Always interesting and amusing.

[@f.h.9606]

14:08 "His legacy lives on today with the Dakar Rallye that always run in Saudi Arabia" I'd like to correct this resume. "His legacy is constantly beeing shit on by the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) who sold the race to the highest bidder, which is Saudi Arabia. While at the same moment the Africa Eco Race is still organizing a race from France to Dakar every year and thereby keeping the lagacy of the original Paris-Dakar Rallye and Thierry Sabine alive." There, fixed it for you.

[@JxH]

6:34 Open Stacks in a desert race (with sand) ? I don't believe it. Was there an air filter system not shown here ?

[@darrelstickler]

John, aren’t you living in NorCal? You’re flying to Atlanta for every vinWiki vid?

[@FicarraClassic]

Yep. I fly out once a year and record 10-12 stories in a couple of days.

[@stephenjohnson6492]

I bet that G Wagen is somewhere iin the Porsche collection jn Getmany