As Porsche continues development of the updated Cayenne and Cayenne Coupe, the Stuttgart-based automaker took the time to review the Cayenne S rally car it made for the Transsyberia Rally. One of the toughest motorsport competitions on the planet with a total length of over 6,200 miles (10,000+ kilometers), the race that starts from Berlin through Moscow, Novosibirsk, Mongolia and Lake Baikal is an event where the all-new first-gen Cayenne proves its worth.
Back in 2006, a pair of Cayenne S models got a one-two finish in the third installment of the rally. One of the cars was driven by Jurgen Kern, whose full-time job was testing and developing the first-generation Cayenne. Vehicles used for racing were almost manufactured with only a few modifications made, including more powerful off-road tires, underbody panels, snorkel air filter, winch, and additional LED lights.
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Impressed by the achievements of the two Cayenne rally cars, Porsche management decided to approve the limited sale of 26 Cayenne S Transsyberia models, which were sold to private teams to participate in the 2007 Transsyberie Tour. The vehicle, again, was very similar to the off-roader production version with slight optimizations. for long-distance rallies, including roll cage, shorter axle ratios, reinforcement to the underbody, and differential lock. Impressively, when the air suspension is set to the highest possible level, the Cayenne rally car has an immersion depth of about 30 inches (75 centimeters).
Under the hood of the rally car is a naturally aspirated 4.8 liter V8 engine in stock form. This mill produces 385 horsepower (283 kilowatts). The same engine, albeit in GTS form with 405 hp (298 kW), was used for the limited edition model Cayenne S Transsyberia, launched in 2009. This engine had several upgrades from rally cars, including a shorter axle. ratio and additional lights on the roof. When equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, it was able to sprint 0-62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometers per hour) in 6.1 seconds, 0.5 seconds faster than the regular Cayenne S at the time.
