When Porsche comes to mind, it is generally thought to be a sports car. The legendary 911 is one of the most recognizable designs in automotive history. The famed 917 Prototypes to the modern-day 919 Hybrid almost type-cast the car maker in road racing and ground-breaking design. It has produced wins from LeMans to all the paved road circuits around the world. So why in the world are we considering a Porsche Cayenne S as a viable off-roader?

What you may not know is that Porsche has an off-road racing history too — from victories in the World Rally Championship and the Dakar Rally. Going way back even further to the early 1950s, they produced the 597 Jagdwagen intended for the German military. Clearly, Porsche has never had a problem performing in the dirt.

Porsche Cayenne S Acquisition

With that lineage in mind, Ryan McFarland made certain considerations when he purchased the two-owner 2011 Porsche Cayenne S as a daily. He previously modified or added off-road upgrades to other vehicles he had owned. With a solid aftermarket for off-road Porsche modifications available, he began building up the German-made SUV to be even more formidable for the trails.

Ryan McFarland sporting his sleek and clean 2011 Porsche 958 Cayenne S

In the past 20-plus years, most luxury and traditional sports car companies have added some kind of sport utility vehicle or crossover to their lineup. SUVs from Lamborghini, Jaguar, BMW, Cadillac, Audi, Maserati, and Mercedes-Benz have become almost more common on the roads than the sedans and sports cars they classically produced. This other crop goes head-to-head against the Jeep, Land Rover, and Toyota SUV buyer’s dollar. Porsche is no exception, and the Cayenne enthusiasts are an established and growing segment of off-road culture, with plenty of support from the aftermarket.

Porsche Cayenne S Inspriration

McFarland is a performance consultant and sales representative for Vivid Racing in Gilbert, Arizona. Vivid Racing is one of the globe’s largest aftermarket performance and off-road parts wholesalers and retailers. His occupation puts him in a unique position to sleuth parts for any vehicle past, present, and future. Many times right off the shelf.

Ryan’s primary motivation for going Porsche on this build was the owners of Vivid Racing. “Rob Rohn and Dan Mermelstien are both Porsche guys. Dan has both developed parts and connected the business to manufacturers of all kinds — with many bolt-on options and custom applications.” The pair started Vivid as an online mail-order business in their Arizona State University dorm room more than 20 years ago.

Ryan’s days are spent connecting enthusiasts of just about any kind of car, truck, or SUV with parts that customize and enhance speed and durability. The sheer volume of calls, online ordering, and email requests to the aftermarket house keeps a staff of 40 salespeople and customer support reps busy every moment of every day. But away from work, Ryan had an off-road conversion in mind.

Porsche Cayenne S Origins

The Cayenne was built utilizing the Volkswagen group’s PL72 platform. Which also shares the same foundation as the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7 of the same era. The Cayenne’s design for its second generation, penned by Mitja Borkert, featured a sleeker appearance with a sloping roofline, windshield, and rear window. The interior is creature-comfortable with body-grabbing leather seats, onboard electronics, and sound dampening.

In his off time, Ryan planned, ordered, and built this enhanced five-door slammer. The SUV was already trail-capable as a bone stock 958, with a 4.7 liter V8, four-wheel drive, and beefy frame and suspension. The 8.5 inches of ground clearance adds legitimacy to the off-road vehicle.

For off-roading, suspension is key for grip, whether crawling up rocks or siding through the gravel of flat trails. As mentioned, the German-Slovakian-built SUV is already more than capable. The muscular struts, shocks, sway bars, and control arms are a great bedrock.

Optional in that particular generation of the Cayenne were the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), active anti-roll bars, adaptive air suspension, and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This particular 958 has none of those bells and whistles and one wonders how much a misadventure or component failure will cost the owner down the road. For many, a set of adjustable coilovers may be the best, less costly upgrade.

Ground clearance considered, McFarland chose a Eurowise 3-inch lift kit. This took the rocker panels to a full 12 inches off the ground.

Porsche Cayenne S Accessories

Ryan partnered with Marzocchi Imports, a luxury import specialty shop, just a stone’s throw from his Gilbert, Arizona offices, to install many of the parts he was purchasing. For electrical wiring of the lights, he worked with XTC Motorsports, an off-road-focused retail shop in nearby Chandler, Arizona.

The off-road lighting came from Baja Designs with LP6 lights mounted to the front Eurowise push bar. Lex Off-Road designed and custom-built a 1 of 1 light rack housing for the Baja Designs LP9s above the cockpit. The stock fog lights, in the front clip, were replaced with Baja Design Squadron Pro amber fog lights. Inclement weather and nights on the trail will never be an issue for McFarland.

Other accessories include an Eurowise roof rack and Visual Autowerks rear passenger window vents that are not only functional but enhance the robust profile. For wheels, McFarland looked inward to Vivid and chose the VR Forged D07 18×9 +20mm and shoed them with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 275/65R18s. McFarland commented, “Surprisingly, the tires are relatively quiet on the highway. I love how it gives the Cayenne a really tough stance.”

Porsche Cayenne S Performance

Lastly, added horsepower came from an in-house, commercially available tune. Normally the stock 4.7 liter V8 in the 2011 Cayenne S puts out 390 horsepower with 369 lb-ft torque. After a VR-Tuned ECU treatment, Ryan’s Cayenne S is making 420HP with 392 lb-ft torque.

After a ride in the burly Cayenne S to our photo shoot location, one feels securely tucked into the luxury of the cockpit and only can imagine the comfort while focusing on the trails ahead. Beyond it’s rugged off-road capabilities, McFarland is very happy with the well-handling SUV on his daily commute.