Following his Dakar Classic debut in January, Axel Berrier will enter the 2026 Africa Eco Race with his trusty Gulf Oil-liveried Porsche 964 DKR. After that, he and Nantes Prestige Autos hope to return to the Classic in 2027 with four cars.

Berrier is the owner of Nantes Prestige Autos, a Porsche restoration firm that regularly builds cars like 911s and 959s for vintage rallies. While NPA has been at the Classic since the inaugural edition in 2021, Berrier himself didn’t take part until 2025 with his 964.

While most Classic cars simply use liveries emulating rally raiders of yore, the iconic Gulf sponsorship on Berrier’s 964 is actually legitimate backing by the oil company. Berrier, a French expat living in Dubai, was previously a perfume businessman and admirer of Steve McQueen who managed to get Gulf onboard.

He finished the Classic in 35th overall and seventh for H2.B cars, hampered by a clutch issue. Afterward, he and Jérémy Athimon brought the 964 to the Merzouga 1000 Classic in April and Pionniers Classic earlier this month; Berrier respectively finished ninth and eighth.

“It was interesting for Jeremy and me to test this car this month, as we will be participating in the Africa Eco Race in January 2026 on the former Dakar route,” Berrier told Journal du 4×4 Magazine during Stage 1 of the Pionniers Classic.

“Our vision for the next year and a half is as follows: we will return to Merzouga in April 2026 and participate in the 2026 Pionniers Rally, this time with two Gulf 964 DKRs from Jeremy’s workshops. The ultimate goal is to arrive at the 2027 Dakar Classic with four Porsches.”

Besides Berrier’s 964, NPA also fielded a Porsche 959 for Juan Morera at this year’s Classic. The company was also tasked with building a 959 for Élodie and Jonathan Metge, the children of AER co-founder and Dakar great René Metge, to enter in the 2026 edition though those plans have since been shelved.

Featured image credit: Doni Castilho / FOTOP / ASO