Porsche around Australia: Beached!!!

The historical around Australia trek to celebrate the arrival of Porsche's first ever sedan has encountered its first kangaroo strike.

Day seven of the 33-day Right Round Down Under tour, the convoy of two Porsche Panamera sedans and one Porsche Cayenne 4WD was brought to a stop on a remote stretch of road between Esperance and Albany in West Australia after the Cayenne support vehicle came into contact with a kangaroo.

The Cayenne was leading the convoy as night fell and showers reduced visibility.

The convoy was travelling below the posted speed limit of 110km/h, using extra caution because it is the peak time of the day for kangaroos and other wildlife to wander onto the road. About 75km east of Albany a very large kangaroo hopped in front of the lead car without warning. Fortunately the driver of the Cayenne, the official photographer for the trip, was able to react quickly and brake heavily, reducing the impact speed.

By the time the Cayenne struck the kangaroo, only the tail came into to contact with the vehicle. And after the close call the roo lost its footing briefly on the side of the road and then hopped back up and continued its journey.

The Porsche convoy stopped to inspect the damage and found that a front indicator lens was broken but the lamp itself still worked. In what appeared to be a very close shave there was also a graze and a hairline fracture in the bumper plastic.

The convoy was in Albany last night before heading into Perth for day eight (Tuesday September 8).

So far, the team has travelled 3967km with Melissa McCormick completing the first leg.

Fuel economy is not a priority for the trip but the cars were doing surprisingly well given their performance, the amount of luggage on board and the strong headwinds encountered over the past few days.

The V8-powered 294kW Panamera S is averaging 11.4L/100km while the 368kW turbocharged version is averaging 12.4L/100km.

The team is due to arrive in Melbourne on October 3 after 33 days and 17,000km, and will be led into town by the very first Porsche sold in Australia, which had done the same journey -- in much tougher conditions -- 56 years ago.

The end of the trip also marks the on-sale date for the Porsche Panamera locally. It will be priced from $270,200 for the V8 and $364,900 for the flagship turbocharged V8.

Only 36 cars will make it to Australia before Christmas. All are already sold.

Log on to Porsche's own minisite -- rightrounddownunder.com -- for details of the whole trip or read our launch coverage of the Porsche Panamera here.

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