Editorial S-Turns

Undoubtedly you have already seen some photographs of the new Porsche Cayenne. The only sure thing I can say about this vehicle is that it will be the most controversial Porsche since the introduction of the water-cooled 924 in 1974. I’ve read a lot of postings on the web and letters to editors, and one question keeps coming up, “is this a real Porsche?” Well, the opinions I first held about the Porsche SUV are not the ones that I have now. My initial reaction was that if I saw a Cayenne at a PCA event, I would gladly supply the hot tar if someone else could please bring some feathers. However, after a couple of evenings spent flipping through some of my Porsche books, a few things that I suppose I already knew suddenly became very obvious to me.

The new Porsche Cayenne: Certainly not your usual Porsche, but then again, what's usual about Porsches?

PorscheWerkfoto

The first revelation I had was that Porsche has always been predominately an engineering firm, not a car manufacturer. Heck, Ferry Porsche didn’t even WANT to be a carmaker. It’s just that setting up a factory was such a good tax write-off in post-war Germany. During its long history, the Porsche Company has worked on many projects from aircraft engines to farm equipment. It dawned on me that Porsche is not necessarily just about sports cars. Porsche is, however, ALWAYS about solid German engineering.

The second great enlightenment of mine was that Porsche has tried many times in the past to expand beyond the fickle sports car market. Zuffenhausen has conceptualized everything from four-door 911’s to hatchback sedans, and if you think the Porsche Cayenne is their first SUV, think again! Please have a look at this issue’s 356-World, and you’ll see that everything old is new again!

So, is the new Cayenne a real Porsche? Well, although I personally don’t agree with the product, the target market, or even the styling, what I have seen elsewhere indicates to me that it is far more difficult to prove that something is NOT a Porsche than it is to determine what makes a Porsche “genuine”. For example, I have nothing against the 924- and 914-owners out there, but I bet they will suddenly feel hard-pressed to dump on the Cayenne too much if they think about it for a minute. My feeling is now that we should welcome the new Porsche Cayenne and their owners. To do otherwise would be to throw stones while living in a glass house. Remember, the PCA is not just about cars, it’s about people. I’d like to see it stay that way. Wouldn’t you?

Putting all this controversy aside, we are halfway through a glorious summer. Fears of a statewide drought seem to have “evaporated” for the time being. I hope all of you are getting out there and enjoying this beautiful summer. Remember, the good weather doesn’t last long in Maine! Take a look at the list of upcoming events (page 9), and hit the road. There’s still a ton of stuff to do this year. If you’re new to the club, don’t be shy. Just show up and introduce yourself. Oh, and make sure to smile proudly when showing off your shiny Porsche…no matter what kind it is!