- Can’t swing the $223,450 for a Porsche 911 Dakar? Here’s an off-road-ready Porsche with seating for the whole family.
- Only 285 Transsyberia Cayennes were built worldwide, and this is one of only three North American versions with a manual transmission.
- With five days before the Bring a Trailer auction ends on Friday, February 10, bidding is at $36,500 for this highly collectible, highly capable Porsche.
Porsche says it has no intention of entering its new 911 Dakar in competition, but a decade ago, it did just that with a special edition of the Cayenne S. Up for sale this week at Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is a rare Cayenne, one of a few built to celebrate Porsche’s wins at the 2007 Transsyberia rally. If you were holding out on that new Dakar because of its lack of rear seats, here’s some rally-prepped Porsche for the whole family.
The Transsyberia rally runs more than 4000 miles from Moscow right across Mongolia. Porsche swept the podium in 2007 with a trio of Cayennes, then decided to showcase the capability of its all-conquering SUV with a civilian-spec version. This is one of those 285 special editions built.
Just as the 911 Dakar is basically a 911 GTS underneath, so too is the Cayenne Transsyberia based on the Cayenne GTS. Power comes from a 4.8-liter V-8 making 405 horsepower at 6500 rpm, and the interior features a luxurious blend of leather and Alcantara.
But, as the orange accents throughout hint, this is no mall-crawler Porsche SUV. The Transsyberia also gets adjustable-height air suspension, 18-inch wheels designed to wear chunky off-road tires, and skidplating underneath. Transsyberias also came with the Cayenne’s rarely optioned off-road package, which includes specific programming for the Porsche stability and traction control.
As if all of that wasn’t enough potential fun in the dirt, have a peek between the front seats: that’s an honest-to-goodness manual transmission. Only three manual-equipped Transsyberias are known to have been delivered to North American, all of them originally sold into Canada. Which makes sense, considering that many parts of Canada are a bit like Siberia, and those Canucks love their stickhandling.
This Transsyberia is currently located in Vancouver, British Columbia, but can easily be imported into the United States. With 133,000 kms on the odometer—roughly 83,000 miles—this is not a Porsche that needs to stay parked to retain its value. Yet it is something of a collector item. The previous owner removed the admittedly garish orange Transsyberia decals, but those are available from Porsche and should be reapplied for resale. A thorough blasting of the undercarriage and applying protection coating should be on the to-do list.
With these tasks done, one lucky bidder will have a mighty V-8–powered Porsche that’s just as capable as any dune-surfing 911 variant, but with enough room for a family of five (or a bunch of friends to help push you out of the sand if you get stuck). Being so rare, it’s bound to appreciate in value as well. With five days to go, bidding sits at $36,500. That’s a bargain by off-road Porsche standards; don’t miss your chance.