Porsche’s Middle East division decided to mark the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Cayenne this year by challenging two Porsche importers from the United Arab Emirates to modify a fleet of first-generation Cayennes to make them even more off-road capable.
The fleet, which was prepared by Al Nabooda Automobiles of Dubai and Ali & Sons of Abu Dhabi, was unveiled for the first time during the Icons of Porsche festival held in Dubai this past weekend.
They were shown after completing a trek through the mountainous region of the Hatta desert near Dubai, which served as the first test.
Simply finding the vehicles for the challenge was already a problem. Builders had to find Cayennes that were originally delivered to the Gulf region and in relatively good condition. As part of the challenge, the builders also had to use some of the accessories that were recently made available for the Porsche Classic Cayenne.
Restomods Porsche Cayenne of the E1 generation
First announced in 2021, accessories included items such as skid plates, flaps, off-road wheels and tires, additional lights and a roof-mounted tent. Also included were decals inspired by Porsche’s Dakar entries over the years. There were three decal themes available: Hunt, Adventure and Rallye.
Modifications have also been made to SUVs that you won’t find in the Porsche Classic catalog yet. These included greater underbody protection, all-terrain wheels, spare wheel holders and a higher ground clearance.
Don’t be surprised if some of these additional mods become available through Porsche Classic. Porsche said more accessories will arrive for the original Cayenne in 2023.
Porsche itself has built Cayennes designed for off-road driving. They were developed in the 2000s for the Transsyberia Rally, an event they ended up dominating.