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Open one-off: a Porsche Cayenne that only existed once!

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Open one-off: a Porsche Cayenne that only existed once!

With the Cayenne, Porsche thought early on about alternative body shapes to the classic five-door SUV. Shortly after the first generation of models went on sale in December 2002, those responsible discussed three additional variants: a coupé, a long-wheelbase version that was 20 centimeters longer and had an additional row of seats, and a cabriolet. Ironically, what was supposedly the most unusual variant, a 4,80 meter long cabriolet based on the Cayenne, was not immediately discarded but actually built.

Porsche Cayenne convertible

Ironically, what was supposedly the most unusual variant, a 4,80 meter long cabriolet based on the Cayenne, was not immediately discarded but actually built. Today there is still a single model of the open Cayenne in the Porsche Museum warehouse. It is not a ready-to-drive prototype, but a so-called package function model, PFM for short. The designers had the roof removed, but did without the body reinforcements required for a convertible. A safe and stable ride would not be possible with this vehicle, so it is only rolled if necessary. Test drives were never planned because the Cabriolet PFM was used solely to check four criteria.

Open one-off: a Porsche Cayenne that only existed once!

Is it possible to sit well anywhere if the roof is more coupé-like towards the rear and the windshield and A-pillars are shortened? How practical is the Cayenne as a two-door model, since the doors are each 20 centimeters longer? Can an elegant, high-quality and also quickly foldable hood be accommodated? And how should you design the rear? In 2002, there was still disagreement on the last question and two different rear sections were designed for the functional package model. The rear light was set low at the rear left, and was significantly higher at the rear right.

Cover mechanism as in the current 911 Targa

There would certainly have been an agreement on the rear design, and the technical issues would certainly have been solvable. A convertible top mechanism that is familiar today was considered: The trunk lid of the Cayenne PFM is hinged at the front and rear, so it can open in both directions. The roof was to be rolled back over the fixed roll bar and stored there in a Z-fold under the trunk lid, which was opened in the opposite direction. It has worked in a similar way with the Porsche 991 Targa since the 911 generation. In the case of the Cayenne Cabriolet, however, the mechanism was never fully designed, but remained in the status of a computer simulation. The fabric roof is now in the trunk of the museum piece and has to be fitted by hand if necessary.

Open one-off: a Porsche Cayenne that only existed once!
The cockpit corresponds to that of the production model, but the windshield is shortened.

While the coupe idea from 2002 was later taken up again and realized in a successful series model in 2019, Porsche did not pursue the cabriolet idea any further. The forecasts in terms of profitability were not particularly promising. On top of that, doubts remained as to whether the car would look as appealing as one would expect from a Porsche. "An SUV as a convertible is a challenge in terms of aesthetics and form," says design chief Michael Mauer, who was not in office in 2002, when looking at the concept today. “The SUV always has a large and heavy body. You combine that with a small hat and then cut off the roof – formally strange things come out of it.” Of course, if we get more information, there will be an update for this report. You will be informed about this if you simply use our Feed subscribe to. Have fun watching the pictures and stay true to us!

Open one-off: a Porsche Cayenne that only existed once!

Don't worry, of course that was far from being the case when it came to auto / auto tuning. Our magazine still has tens of thousands other tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Then just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in everything to do with vehicles of the Porsche brand? Then click on one of the following posts!

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Photo credit: Porsche
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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

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