Cayenne Diesel

STORY

The Cayenne is the car that made everything else possible. When it arrived for 2003, purists were appalled that Porsche would build an SUV at all. Commercially, it was a masterstroke that turned a niche sports-car maker into one of the most profitable companies in the industry.

Developed alongside the Volkswagen Touareg but engineered with real Porsche intent, it drove and performed like no SUV before it, with turbocharged versions embarrassing sports cars while still hauling a family and towing a trailer. Buyers who would never fit into a 911 flocked to it.

The profits it generated bankrolled the 911's continued development, the Boxster and Cayman, and Porsche's motorsport and hypercar programmes. Love it or not, the Cayenne saved the company financially and became its commercial backbone.