Élodie and Jonathan Metge hoped to enter the 2026 Africa Eco Race to commemorate the 40-year anniversary of their father René winning the Paris–Dakar Rally. However, budget shortcomings have forced those plans to be dropped.

The siblings began working on their project, dubbed “Sur les traces de René Metge” (“In the footsteps of René Metge”), in January. The idea was to enter the AER with a Porsche 959 similar to what their dad drove to victory at the 1986 Dakar; the elder Metge, who passed away in 2024, co-founded the Africa Eco Race in 2009.

Nantes Prestige Autos, who builds and restores Porsches for vintage rallies like the Dakar Classic, partnered with the Metges to build the 959.

Unfortunately, they announced on Saturday that they were unable to get the funding necessary to continue the build. While they aren’t going to call off the project for good just yet, it currently sits in rocky waters with just three months until the race.

“For ten months, we worked tirelessly. We approached potential partners, communicated, held numerous meetings, and traveled thousands of kilometers across France. But the biggest dreams are often the hardest to achieve,” reads a statement from the Metges.

“Despite our determination and passion, we could not raise the necessary budget to make this project a reality. It is with great emotion and disappointment that we must give up on building the Porsche 959 for the time being.

“And yet, we keep in mind that ‘you have to believe in your dreams.’ We will continue to look for solutions until the day before departure. We believe in our lucky star and hope that this project can see the light of day later, or in another form.

“Nevertheless, this adventure has allowed us to have moving encounters, to share meaningful moments with those who knew our father. These exchanges have deeply touched us. They reminded us how much he knew how to touch people with his passion and his humanity.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all those who support us and believe in us.”

Featured image credit: Nantes Prestige Autos