It is quite possible that when you see a certain model of a brand you already directly relate it to it. At a time when almost all models are the same, the departments that have taken a step further and have surprised with a revolutionary design. At Porsche they presented the “colorado” project where they were looking for the ideal form. With the decision to develop a “multi-purpose sports vehicle”, Porsche posed a great challenge to its Design Department and its Director at the time, Harm Lagaay.
The luxury car firm has made its team no longer work with the intention of creating a two-door vehicle. Now they focused on a technical drawing of SUV, being a car of great proportions, high ceiling, with four doors and space for five people and their luggage. Thus was born the so-called E1 and E3, which is how the Porsche Cayenne is known internally.
Even today, any fan can recognize the face of the Porsche 911 of the 996 generation on the front of the first Cayenne. This impression is reinforced by what is called the topography of the front section. The highest point of the fins and headlights is above the level of the hood.
Porsche thought that the ideal would be to incorporate in the Cayenne a front similar to that of 911, but that was not possible and a square hood was proposed. This would facilitate access to the air filter and headlights.. The designers prevailed at this point, but also worked with the engineering team in non-visible areas so that such accesses were not a problem. Smooth body surfaces and the absence of the classic radiator grille between the headlights remain distinctive features today.
To obtain Porsche’s disposition, it would have been necessary to develop a new instrument cluster, an investment not foreseen for the first generation of the Cayenne. In spite of everything, Porsche was able to include a number of characteristic elements: its own three-spoke steering wheel, the handles on the center console, which underline the SUV’s superb off-road performance, and the location for the start-up key in the same place as in all Porsche’s: to the left of the steering wheel.
