Porsche is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first SUV, Cayenneand so brought a unique prototype out of the archives.
It’s a convertible based on the first generation Cayennethat never went into production – although a physical prototype was created.
It seems to have been “considered” shortly after the first-generation Cayenne debuted in Europe in December 2002.
Measuring about 4.8 meters long, this Cayenne convertible prototype is not a road car and is what Porsche calls the Full Functional Model (PFM).
The German sports car brand said the Cayenne convertible prototype was “not capable of providing a safe and stable driving experience”, so a test drive was never planned. It must be “carried to its destination upon request”.
Pointing out the obvious, Porsche stripped off the roof of the first-generation Cayenne to create this one-off prototype and added a series of “body stiffening measures necessary for a convertible.” .
Porsche said it had envisaged a soft convertible for the Cayenne convertible, which would be functionally similar to today’s convertible from the 911 Targaalthough it never made it past the computer simulation stage.
The way the folding roof is supposed to work is that the luggage compartment lid will swing backwards and the soft top will pass through the fixed roll bar and be “swallowed” by the luggage compartment lid at the rear.
Today, a fabric shirt fits neatly in the trunk of the Cayenne convertible prototype and has to be hand-fitted if the need arises.
Another notable change this prototype has, compared to the usual first-generation Cayenne, is the lack of a rear door. Instead, the front door is extended by 20cm.
The windshield and A-pillars have been cut short, and with a fabric roof replacing the Cayenne convertible prototype has a more coupe-like silhouette with a slimmer roofline.
An interesting area to point out on the prototype is the rear, as it is split in the middle with two significantly different designs due to “disagreements”.
The left side of the rear has low rear lights, while the right side is higher.
The rear right design and more specifically the taillights, look somewhat similar to the first generation Panamera was announced in 2009.
Porsche says that if the Cayenne convertible is pursued further, it is clear that a single rear design will be chosen and the technical problems will be resolved.
The German sports car maker did not pursue the convertible idea further because there were “doubts” as to whether the car would be profitable and look “as attractive as a Porsche should be”. .
Other automakers have previously had similar ideas and actually produced SUV-based convertibles: the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, for example, Range Rover Evoque Convertibleand Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet.
Porsche Design Director Michael Mauer said: “An SUV as a convertible presents a challenge both in terms of aesthetics and form.
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Cayenne Turbo GT
“An SUV is always big and heavy. You combine this with the small top half and then cut off the roof – you get very odd shapes emerging from that. “
In addition to this convertible prototype, Porsche says it is “considering” two other Cayenne-based prototypes including an elongated version with a third row of seats and a coupe version.
The so-called ‘coupe’ version of the Cayenne finally entered production in 2019 and has been sold alongside the usual wagon body style ever since.
What do you think of this convertible Cayenne prototype? Let us know in the comments section.
