2008–2009 Porsche Cayennes Are Our Dakar-Inspired Bring a Trailer Picks

Two fun-looking modified Porsche Cayennes are up for auction on Bring a Trailer this week.For racing fans, a 2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS with a Martini livery wrap looks more than ready for your social media feed.A modified 2008 Cayenne S looks more ready for your updates with a lower auction price.

First-generation Porsche Cayennes around the world are enjoying an adventurous retirement from daily commuting as modified off-roaders from Dakar to your local desert-like area. If you’re looking for a way to join the movement with an already-modified 2008 or 2009 Cayenne, we found some options over on the auction site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

Up first is a 2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS that looks like it should be speeding along the dunes. It has been modified with 18-inch OZ racing-style wheels, an aftermarket air suspension, a tubular front bumper, a front skid plate, and a roof rack with recovery gear. Don’t buy this one to blend in. It’s also got a multicolor vinyl wrap of the Martini livery over Crystal Silver Metallic paint, bi-xenon headlights, and a sunroof. The black leather interior uses Alcantara upholstery for the heated front seats. It also has navigation and a Bose surround sound system.

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The GTS Cayennes are a great place to start making modifications, but the listing doesn’t detail who made the modifications. The original 4.8-liter V-8 engine, rated at 405 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque at the factory, and a six-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission remain. The Cayenne has all-wheel drive, a dual-range transfer case, and a variable center differential. There are 121,000 miles on the odometer. The auction ends on Wednesday, May 3, and the current bid is just over $18,000.

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A second modified Cayenne currently up for auction is a 2008 Cayenne S, the trim level below the GTS, in Sand White paint. Three inches of lift come from a Eurowise kit with Bilstein shock absorbers, and the car sits on 32-inch Falken tires (without tire-pressure monitors) with 18-inch Sparco Terra wheels. There are also bi-xenon headlights, a roof rack, a rear wiper, and a swing-away rear tire carrier.

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The 4.8-liter V-8 and six-speed transmission should sound familiar. The interior is covered in Sand Beige leather and Gloss Light wood trim accents with heated front seats, navigation, and a Bose sound system.

This vehicle has a few problems, including parking sensors and a windshield washer pump that do not work. There are also some scuffs and blemishes on the exterior. The front tires can rub the fender liners thanks to substantial front-end work. The odometer says the car has 121,000 miles, but it’s unclear how reliable that is. This auction ends on Thursday, May 4, and is currently sitting at $7000.

If you’re more into the DIY aspect of modifying a Cayenne for off-road use, a fair number of them are regularly available on BaT. You can see all Cayennes on the auction site here.

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Contributing Editor

Sebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.