Porsche Cayenne GTS Evolution History (2002-2022)
6At Porsche, the ‘GTS’ acronym represents an extra dose of sportiness across all model lines – both visually and in terms of driving dynamics. The three letters, which stand for Gran Turismo Sport, first entered the annals of Porsche history in 1964, when a 904 Carrera GTS won the legendary Targa Florio. The inspiration for the GTS models of the present day, on the other hand, came not from a racing car but from a luxury SUV: the Porsche Cayenne.
Shortly after its successful debut in 2002, the Hemmingen-based model line was tasked with expanding the Cayenne range. Among the items on the wish list of the Porsche executive board was a variant with enhanced on-road performance that would slot in between the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. Oliver Laqua, now the overall vehicle project manager for the Cayenne, had worked as a concept engineer on the first generation of the SUV, internally known as the E1, in 1998. In 2004, he was commissioned to design a Cayenne that was particularly sporty in every respect. The young engineer got straight to work on the project, code-named ‘Roadrunner’. Laqua initially had a particularly lightweight vehicle in mind. “We planned to dispense with the transfer case, because that alone saved another 80 kilograms of weight. And we thought about four racing bucket seats for further weight reduction and a more emotive feel,” Laqua recalls.
To fine-tune the chassis systems of the first Cayenne generation, Porsche sought the counsel of a two-time world rally champion: Walter Röhrl put the E1 prototypes through their paces, including on the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife and on ice tracks in the Arctic Circle. The skill and experience of the four-time Monte Carlo Rally winner had a major influence on the setup of the all-wheel-drive system in particular. Röhrl was also involved in fine-tuning the first Cayenne GTS.
The first Cayenne GTS and its 298 kW (405 PS) V8 engine made its debut at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2007, following the introduction of the first model update of the SUV (internally known as the E1 II). Shortly afterwards, a Porsche Design Edition limited to 1,000 examples appeared in the form of the Cayenne GTS PDE 3, with a special colour scheme and an even more exclusive feel to the exterior and interior.
Source: Porsche
➡️ Discover all new cars before anyone else! Subscribe now to AUTO TV 👉https://goo.gl/y9bfwm ⚠️
Don’t miss next videos: press the little bell ((🔔)) to get notifications.