Cayenne Turbo GT

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 very smart move: it turned a niche sports-car maker into one of the most profitable companies in the industry.

It was developed together with the Volkswagen Touareg but engineered with real Porsche intent. It drove and accelerated unlike any SUV before it. Turbocharged versions could beat sports cars, while still carrying a family and towing a trailer. Buyers who would never fit into a 911 flocked to it.

Its profits paid for the continued development of the 911, the Boxster and Cayman, and Porsche's motorsport and hypercar programmes. Whether you like it or not, the Cayenne saved the company financially and became its commercial backbone.