At 96, Sobiesław Zasada went back to the Argentine roads where he won in 1967, this time in a Porsche 911 Dakar. Zasada rode as co-driver in a car that wore a livery honoring his 1967 Porsche 911. It also carried his original race number, 405.

The occasion was the XXIII Gran Premio Argentino Histórico, a historic rally that celebrates Argentina’s road-racing past. Zasada came as a special guest. During the visit, a replica of his 1967 car, nicknamed “Porschito,” was also on show.

For readers who don’t know the name, Zasada is a Polish rally driver born in 1930. According to Porsche, he won 148 rallies on five continents. One of the wins Argentina remembers best came in a small red 911.

Zasada’s Porsche return to Argentina

Porsche told the story in an October 15 release on its newsroom. The company says Zasada returned “this time as co-driver in a Porsche 911 Dakar.” The release does not name the driver at the wheel. However, it says the livery paid tribute to his 1967 car, including race number 405.

Argentina’s 16 Válvulas set the scene before the start. Its preview of the rally lists the dates as September 18 to 25, 2026, with the Automóvil Club Argentino as organizer. The route ran through the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Catamarca and San Juan, the site says. It also reported that a Porsche Cayenne with a technician would follow the route.

The site called the event a traveling museum in motion. It also used Zasada’s Argentine nickname, “Polaco Volador,” or the Flying Pole. Porsche’s release uses the same name in English in its headline.

The 1967 win behind the No. 405 livery

The original race was the Gran Premio Internacional de Turismo in October 1967. According to Porsche, the route ran more than 3,000 kilometers across mountains, deserts and flooded plains. Zasada drove a red Porsche 911 with Kraków registration plates reading 25-15-KR. The car carried the nickname “Porschito.”

His co-driver was engineer Jerzy Dobrzański. Porsche says the pair beat strong factory-backed teams. In the release’s words, “Zasada secured victory both in Class C and overall.” The car also used an intercom system not seen before in Argentine competition, Porsche adds.

Sources differ on one detail. 16 Válvulas calls the car a 911 T, while Porsche’s release simply says 911. Either way, both agree the race number was 405.

The career numbers behind the comeback

Zasada’s Porsche wins are only one part of his record. Porsche credits him with 148 rally wins on five continents and competition in more than 40 countries. He also covered almost three million kilometers, and he was a three-time European champion and an eight-time national champion, the release says.

The FIVA Hall of Fame profile gives the European title years as 1966, 1967 and 1971. In addition, FIVA says he finished runner-up in 1968, 1969 and 1972. It also says his 1966 title came in a Steyr-Puch 650, the smallest-engined car to win the European title.

Sport came before racing. Porsche says a shoulder injury ended his hopes of throwing the javelin at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He then started motor racing later that same year.

London to Sydney with the Porsche works team

Zasada’s next Porsche chapter came a year after Argentina. In the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon, Zasada and Marek Wachowski drove for the Porsche works team, according to the release. They won the Australian leg and finished fourth overall on a route of more than 16,000 kilometers.

FIVA’s account adds detail. It puts the distance at 16,694 kilometers, with 98 cars starting in London. It also says he finished one minute short of the podium. Later, FIVA notes, he drove for BMW and finished his career with Mercedes-Benz.

What Zasada and Porsche Argentina said

Porsche’s local team framed the visit as a tribute. Hugo Pulenta is president of Nordenwagen S.A., Porsche’s importer and distributor for Argentina and Uruguay. He called Zasada’s visit a celebration of “enduring passion and an adventurous spirit that never fades.”

Meanwhile, Gustavo Gioia, general manager of Porsche Argentina and Uruguay, pointed to the time that has passed. Almost six decades after the win, he said, it is moving to see that “his affection for Porsche and his tireless determination remain undiminished.”

Zasada kept his own answer short. “The race took place 59 years ago,” he said. Still, he added that if it were exactly as it was then, “I would race it again, even at my current 96 years of age.”

He did not race this time, but his number did. Fifty-nine years after his red 911 won in Argentina wearing No. 405, that same number rode the roads again on a Porsche 911 Dakar.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.