Porsche Cayenne Convertible revealed

Porsche came close to producing a bizarre convertible based on its first-generation Porsche Cayenne SUV, the car-maker has revealed.

Back in 2002, the instant sales success of the German sports car marque’s first-ever SUV triggered the company to consider not only the drop-top but also a coupe version and a further long-wheelbase three-row variant.

Reflecting how close it came to green-lighting the Cayenne convertible, Porsche designers created a full-scale 4.8-metre-long prototype to demonstrate the merits of such a model to senior management.

It features a coupe-like roofline and a pair of longer doors (+200mm), while an internal disagreement saw the mock-up receive a different left- and right-hand rear design treatment as Porsche struggled to package the large folding roof efficiently.

That’s why it looks like a bit of a mess at the rear-end of the prototype, which would have been resolved were it ever to reach production.

Interestingly, the folding roof actually works in a similar way to the Porsche 911 Targa (991 series), which features a boot that lifts clear of its body to stow the roof below – not that the scale-model Cayenne convertible’s roof actually works.

The non-driveable concept had to have its roof stowed manually.

Helping maintain structural rigidity is a fixed rollover bar behind the rear seats.

If you’re wondering why the Porsche Cayenne convertible was never built, wonder no more.

According to Porsche design boss, Michael Mauer, the German brand was worried its questionable looks would scare away buyers: “An SUV as a convertible is a challenge both aesthetically and formally.

“An SUV always has a large and heavy body. You combine this with a small top half and then cut off the roof – you get very strange shapes emerging from that.”

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