When Porsche introduced it was creating an off-road 911, all of us knew what to anticipate. The Safari development had been rampant, inescapable in Porsche fanatic circles, and it had lengthy since simmered right into a thick, constant aftermarket sauce: Tall journey peak, extensive fenders, and chunky tires — all the elements Porsche had added to its personal providing.
However then, the corporate introduced one thing totally different: The 911 Dakar. One other storied off-road identify, to make sure, however not the one we’d all come to affiliate with lifted Porsches that by no means see dust. The script adorning the 911’s tail was… improper. What occurred? Because it seems, the identify wasn’t chosen for Porsche’s racing heritage. It was simply the second-best choice — “Safari” was already taken.
In an interview with Edmunds, 911 Dakar undertaking director Thomas Krickelberg defined that the corporate initially meant to make use of the Safari identify. However the firm found it will run into an present trademark — that of Tata Motors’ Safari crossover.
Porsche reached out to Tata, hoping to get permission to share the Safari identify, however the latter firm wouldn’t budge. However don’t look too harshly on Tata for stealing your favourite automotive identify — corporations are pressured to strictly implement trademark protections, or danger shedding their trademark solely.
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The 911 Dakar continues to be a small-S safari-styled automotive, however the labyrinthine ins-and-outs of trademark regulation imply it could actually by no means get that capital S it so deserves. However, maybe that’s factor — in spite of everything, the safari fashion ought to by no means be restricted to simply that single platform. By utilizing the Dakar identify, possibly Porsche helps us bear in mind all the opposite automobiles that deserve their very own safari iteration, and leaving the phrase firmly within the palms of fanatics.