Our 7 Favorite Off-Road Cayenne Builds

Porsche's 1st Generation Cayenne Makes A Great Starting Point

For decades, it seemed like the only vehicles you'd see out in the wild tackling trails were Jeeps and Toyotas. Admittedly, these are very capable machines, but in the SUV craze of the 2000's, Porsche made an SUV that not only was as capable, but it was comfortable, and fast, and classy. And the Cayenne name will go down in history for it (and for being a wild financial success).

Porsche Cayenne owners soon found out it doesn't take much to build one into an even more seriously capable machine. This 2009 Cayenne build has some of those quick and easy mods that make these machines so popular now. Via HighConsumption, it has a lift kit, off road suspension, bigger wheels and tires, a skid plate and roof rack with extra lighting. Told ya it doesn't take much. 

Photo courtesy of HighConsumption

It Looks Even Better With An Iconic Livery

This Cayenne has even fewer mods than the previous one, but we argue it has one of the most important: the best paint job, maybe ever. Porsche's off-road dominance was forged in the 959, which has the infamous Rothmans livery as seen on this Cayenne. Interestingly, the Cayenne doesn't really have an official racing pedigree.

Aside from the Transsybera special, Porsche didn't really put much of a factory backed effort into this car, at least not for Dakar. But this one would have some speed, because according to TheDrive, it started as a Cayenne Turbo. 

Photo courtesy of TheDrive

Clean Builds Deserve Some Love Too

Sometimes Less is more. This Porsche Cayenne off-roader proves just that. The extra lighting is minimal, there are no mud flaps, and there are no bash bars or skid plates or anything to fuss up the outside of the car. And to us, it looks great. 

This one is actually a showcase model for the roof rack you see on top, from a company called TruckBrigade. We like that they have built something for the Cayenne, seeing the niche market is ever-growing. And let that be a call to action. The more these Cayennes are being taken off-road, the greater demand for parts will be, and more companies will support them! 

Photo courtesy of TruckBrigade

Porsche Once Built Their Own Off-Road Special

Back in 2007, Porsche did something amazing. They built what was essentially a homologation special for the Transsyberia Rally. As such, the Cayenne Transsyberia was born. Only 26 were made, and almost the entire field of rally entrants for 2007 was filled with these Cayennes, according to CarThrottle. 

With a stripped-out interior and cage from the factory, this is essentially a race car ready to go. The mechanical parts were pulled from a Cayenne S and GTS, so you get 400 ponies worth of V8 power, but to prove how tough the car is, kept the Porsche's air suspension. It could have been named Cayenne RSR, and no one would have been offended. 

Photo courtesy of CarThrottle

Yep, Someone Built A Cayenne On Tracks!

It doesn't matter if tracks are technically less capable off-road than standard tires. Why? Because we said so. Tracks are just cool. And AmericanTrackTruck has built a set of tracks for the Cayenne. And we are absolutely not going to question it. 

Tracks do have advantages in several conditions where a tire wouldn't work. Soft deep snow, for instance. The footprint of the track would help to keep it from sinking, and the design of the tracks themselves means you're rarely asking for more grip. 

Photo courtesy of AmericanTrackTruck

Technically, it's a build.... from Porsche

Yeah, this one is a stock Cayenne, but we have to remember just how good these SUVs really are. The Porsche Cayenne has lost none of its off-roading capabilities as it has evolved, with the 3rd generation Cayenne proving its worth. MotorTrend notes that even though this thing won't be a rock crawler, it can still handle just about anything the owner may throw at it. 

It just goes to show the balance that Porsche has to play. As a better road car, it'll sell even better, but the Cayenne simply has to perform off-road, otherwise, it just looks like a tall Panamera. Not that there's anything wrong with the Panamera. 

Photo courtesy of MotorTrend 

Our favorite build is... yours!

Our favorite off-roader of all time though? It's yours! if you have a Cayenne that you've built, like this one from Bring-A-Trailer, we'd love to hear about it. Your input matters, too, because as these builds get more popular, technical advice will be ever more valuable. What size rim to use? What brakes (important for those going down a rim size) are being used?  

Consider this, the Cayenne above sold for $17,000. Now consider what kind of off-road capability you get for the money... It certainly makes other off-road builds look silly. 

Photo courtesy of Bring-A-Trailer

>>Join the conversation about the these off-road Cayenne builds right here at Rennlist.com.

>>For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section.