You’re Going To Want A Modified Cayenne After Seeing What These Canadian Porsche Dealers Have Been Up To

By now, we all have to admit that the original Porsche Cayenne is pretty neat. Sure, it was immensely controversial when it launched, and the styling can be a bit gawky from certain angles, but here’s a proper 4×4 with low range that was sold with a huge range of powertrains from mild to wild, and it’s proved its mettle in the crucible of motorsport such as the Transsyberian Rally. One of these upscale SUVs would be a great base to make your own before taking it out into the bush or hitching up a trailer. Want inspiration? Just look north of the border. Every year, Porsche Canada puts on the Porsche Classic Restoration Competition, and this year brought a twist: Every single entrant was an original Cayenne, and all of them were modified.

While this might sound a bit crazy, it’s easy to understand the SUV focus given the objectives of the challenge. Unlike low-slung sports cars that were frequently tucked away during winters, Cayennes were primarily daily drivers. In Canada, that makes the whole restoration side of things a little more challenging because not only do we actually get winter up here, but many jurisdictions salt or brine the roads, melting ice while shortening the lifespan of daily drivers.

At the same time, not only is the first-generation Cayenne now the effective entry point to the Porsche brand since decent 924s and 944s shot up in value, it’s proven popular with overlanders over the past few years because of its two-speed transfer case, available locking differentials, good geometry, and solid payload capacity. This means that a wide variety of aftermarket parts are out there for these SUVs, so it shouldn’t be surprising that every entrant in the Porsche Classic Restoration Competition Canada was modified in some way.

Starting on the street-focused end of the spectrum, Porsche Centre London somehow got its hands on a 2005 Cayenne Turbo with a TechArt Magnum widebody kit. It’s certainly of its time, but in a way that’s now strangely charming, a bit like the wild Strosek builds of the ’80s and ’90s. This thing got a full underbody restoration before being wrapped in a red-and-white livery that seems to draw inspiration from the parallel stripes of the Porsche 911 R, along with the maple leaf motif of the Porsche Experience Centre Toronto-themed Sonderwunsch 911 GT3 RS.

Porsche Centre Victoria took things to another level with its 2008 Cayenne Turbo, collaborating with Coast Salish artist Luke Marston on an absolutely stunning art car. The vivid palette and traditional artwork make this SUV a real head-turner with cultural significance, the matching interior trims are nothing short of beautiful, and the custom dugout race canoe secured to the roof showcases a properly cool racing tie-in. Roll up, portage if necessary, lock in, and row. It’s no surprise that this build took home the Best in West trophy, because everything about it rules.

It’s no surprise that roof tents were out in force for this year’s Porsche Classic Restoration Competition Canada, especially since Porsche offers its own branded unit as a dealer-installed accessory. Over the years, overlanding parts companies have found that the roof of the E1 Cayenne can actually take some serious weight, with Sherpa Equipment manufacturing a roof rack tested to 600 pounds of static load and Exode Explore making one good for 800 pounds of static load. Options like these make the original Cayenne an exceptional candidate for those who don’t want to sleep on the ground, good enough for two adults, the roof tent itself, bedding, and possibly even a four-legged friend.

Also on deck this year were a whole lot of lift kits from companies like Eurowise, and Porsche Centre Lauzon took things to the absolute extreme with its Cayenne S. The thing just walks tall, rolling on serious sizeable meats, and it genuinely has everything on it. Molle panels, swing-out carriers for a spare tire and some spare fuel, enough lighting to show up on satellite imaging, and a modern printed wrap that looks show car grade.

Actually, it goes even further than that. Beyond the lift kit, mechanical work includes a full engine re-seal and a custom exhaust system that routes the tailpipes through the sides of the rear bumper to improve departure angle and make way for a sizeable steel nerf bar. This thing has straight-up video game hero car energy, a deserving machine to take home the Best in East trophy.

When it came to the popular vote from both netizens and live attendees, Porsche Centre Markham swept with a build that pays tribute to the Type 597 Jagdwagen, a 1953 proposal for a Porsche-built hunting vehicle. After completing a mechanical refresh on this 2009 Cayenne, Porsche Centre Markham lifted it on a set of Fuchs-inspired Black Rhino Taiga alloy wheels and knobbly tires, added skid plates and recovery gear, removed the rear seats, and built a whole concealed hunting chest that doubles as a false floor. The black-and-khaki color scheme looks great, and the stout 3.6-liter VR6 base engine is a great choice for a practical rig.

So, who was the overall national champion? That would be Porsche Centre Vancouver with its Gulf-liveried 2008 Cayenne Turbo, which is actually a customer car. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Gulf livery guy, but the off-road modifications to the exterior were pretty tasteful. A secluded winch, a slim steel front valence to bash without breaking plastic, round KC lights on the roof rack, a lift and some tires. However, the real jaw-dropper is the interior.

Yep, that’s a new-old-stock roll of Pepita fabric carefully sectioned up and covering the seat inserts, the console grab handles, the door armrests, and even a set of floor mats for when you aren’t getting muddy. At the same time, the center console and center armrest have been wrapped in sueded material to match the material of the crest-embossed headliner, and then you notice the seat belts.

Yep, the seat belts match the upholstery. Unreal. Better yet, these are just the original belts re-dyed, which means they still feature all the factory safety labels, all the factory hardware, the same webbing equipped from new, the whole nine yards. It’s one of those modifications that would look great in just about everything from an old Land Rover to a new 911 to a Chevette to a Koenigsegg.

I also have to give props to Porsche Centre Oakville’s race support-themed 2009 Cayenne S, because many of the modifications on this build seems easy to install at home. Beyond the wrap, some body repairs, and expected mechanical refresh points like new discs and pads, there’s an elegant sort of simplicity here. We’re talking a bolt-in coilover lift kit, off-road tires on factory Porsche wheels, a reasonable roof rack, a nerf bar up front with some Hella rally lights, add-ons that make you think “Hey, I could do that.”

So, if you’re looking for something a bit left-field to take off-roading, or to tow a car with, why not look at a first-generation Cayenne? Between sweeping the Transsyberia Rally, showing up at mud pits and Moab, and being rated to tow a whopping 7,716 pounds, there’s some real potential in Porsche’s big bet for the 2000s. Obviously, a good pre-purchase inspection is a good idea, especially on high-mileage V8 models as some owners have reported instances of bore scoring, but you could end up with a rig that’s remarkably nice, remarkably tough, and remarkably inexpensive. Sounds nice, yeah?

Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal

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