Porsche Center Dubai and the Northern Emirates (Al Naboodah Automobiles) and Porsche Center Abu Dhabi (Ali & Sons) were challenged by Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE to customize a fleet of first-generation (E1) Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicles (SUV).
This challenge saw the two dealers breathe new life into the old automobiles.
“We were tasked with regenerating the first-generation Cayenne to highlight its offroad capabilities through accessorizing and modifying where necessary, as well as utilizing some of the accessories that have recently become available for it from Porsche Classic. In conjunction with Porsche Centre Dubai, we purchased four E1s each, ranging from 2007 to 2010 examples, and I think both teams have enjoyed modifying them and giving the E1 a new lease of life,” said Ali & Sons Brand Manager Darren Abel.
The customized Porsche Cayenne SUV units had to meet strict requirements. This meant that the cars to be restored had to be in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) specifications.
“They've gone through the same inspection process that any Porsche Approved pre-owned vehicle would go through, so they've all been through the workshop and required quite a lot of work, which you would expect from cars that are 17 to 20 years old, but we already have customers lining up to buy them,” Abel stated.
While the aim of the project was to modify the cars, Ali & Sons also wanted to demonstrate how well the original Cayenne has aged over the past two decades. Keeping the revisions to one of the cars to a bare minimum, they fitted a set of limited-edition matt-black Porsche Classic wheels, which have been powder coated for added protection and feature a laser-engraved Porsche logo. Besides a roof tent, the team also applied graphics, choosing from a range of three available decal sets — “Adventure” (Guards Red), “Rallye” (Ice Race Blue), and “Hunt” (Hunting Car Olive).
“With the other cars, we included off-road accessories to demonstrate how far it’s possible to go to transform a Cayenne into pretty much anything a customer wants,” Abel explained.
The restoration-modification project set by Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE was staged to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the iconic SUV. The celebration marking its two-decade success is just one of the themes of this year’s Icons of Porsche festival.
Photos from Porsche
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