The Porsche Cayenne S: A Unicorn on the Road to Adventure

_______

“955 Safari is a South African man who traded the bushveld for the lush landscapes of New Zealand, and the unique Porsche Cayenne S that became his trusty companion on the road to adventure. From its humble beginnings as a rally-bred machine, this rare car has been transformed into a capable overlander, perfectly suited for exploring the diverse beauty of Aotearoa.”.

Background

_______

I grew up in a small rural town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. My childhood was filled with outdoor adventures. Fishing with grandad, hunting with my father and trapping with friends was how I spent my time. Learning about nature and ecology was not done through books, but rather through experiences.

Some for recreation and some from necessity. Our diet consisted of not just what we raised and farmed but also hunted, caught and trapped. Many happy hours were spent in the bushveld of the Waterberg, living a self-determined existence. I was part of that place, and it was part of me. I never expected to leave my beautiful home, I never thought that my life would lead me to Aotearoa, New Zealand.

When I touched down in Wellington in 2019 in this beautiful but very foreign country, I was met with natural splendour that I could not have ever imagined. It is so different to the bushveld. Always wet, always green, no dangerous animals, reptiles or insects. It is as if a mountain range was pushed out from the great Pacific to form a sanctuary for birds, some of which seem quite familiar! That’s right we have them back home. A kind reminder that this new home of mine would have “old friends” to help when the home sickness got a bit too much.

You own a very unique Porsche Cayenne S. Can you tell us more about it? What makes it so special, and how did you come to own such a rare car?

_______

My spirit sought after discovery and adventure. I wanted to explore, hunt, dive, fish and most importantly learn about Aotearoa, the people of the land, nature and the ocean. For this I needed a vehicle! An overlander that would be able to traverse the mountains, streams and beaches and be reliable and comfortable.

With UTES being very expensive and most Japanese car brands having over inflated values and high mileage cars I knew that I had to think out of the box to find that truly special car. I searched and did my homework on alternative options and decided that it would be the Porsche 955 model that would be built into the perfect overlanding build. I did not know that what I would find would be an ultra-rare unicorn Porsche Cayenne S with low mileage and for Toyota Surf money.

I stumbled across an amalgamation car of which less than 2000 was ever produced with the sole purpose of Porsche entering the Transsyberia rally, the race they entered 20 privateer teams and won the prestigious title of the 6600km race by Kiwi rally racing legend Rod Millen! His original rally car still in his own private collection in the Coromandel.

What makes this Porsche Cayenne S "ultra rare"?

_______

What makes the Porsche I found so special you may ask? It was fitted with a rear differential lock in addition to the centre locker that all Cayennes between 2003-2010 was fitted with. The car also was fitted with detectable hydraulic sway bars for extra suspension travel and factory armour.

All of this on a super SUV of its time that would have costed around $175k when new if you could get your hands on one! Plush leather and carpet with all of the creature comforts you would expect from a brand like Porsche, pushed along by a 350hp V8 that revolves the planet when you put your foot down and the torque comes in a linear wave of sublime power. On and off road there is nothing to compare it too. A true unicorn!

What modifications, if any, did you make to your Porsche Cayenne S for off-roading to prepare it for your journey?

_______

Before I could start travelling some changes to the car was needed, starting with wheels, removing valances, exhaust upgrades to create greater ground clearance and camping equipment. The rubber on the car is Maxxis Razr MT, a tire I will highly recommend as it’s on and off-road handling is second to none.

The barwork on the rear is custom built with a front bar in the works. For the Roof Top Tent, 270 Awning, shower awning and portable battery bank the car was graciously sponsored by Leo from Te Ata Adventure and Supply for long term testing and review. They have been absolutely outstanding, and I cannot recommend this brand more! For recovery equipment I run Maxtrax exclusively, using their recovery boards, rope, soft shackles and tow hitch snatch block.

Deflating tires when going off road is done via Apex RPV valves, an ingenious system that drops a 33-inch tire from 4psi to 1.8 psi in 8 seconds flat! A truly awesome set of valves. Re inflation is through the Maxtrax Indiflate paired with the Porsche’s OEM onboard air compressor that also serves the off-road air suspension.

When the car is fully packed and all the camping gear is loaded with the rear seats down it can easily sustain a week trip with fridge freezer, power station and even a hot Joolca shower.

At some stage you decided you would begin exploring around New Zealand, can you shed light on how this decision came to be?

_______

I started the journey as a means to break award over weekends as I am a builder, but ultimately, I am working towards making my content of my travels a full-time job. There are many different avenues one can follow to achieve this, and I am certainly giving it a go! I have come to enjoy filming and editing and have also recently started to help other off road oriented content creators film and edit.

It’s been a 3-year journey that has been tremendously rewarding and I look forward to the next chapter of my journey as I keep on exploring and learning more about this beautiful country. The journey has not been without its fair share of mechanical complications, but as a hands-on farm boy I could easily work on the car and get us back on the road.

Is travelling around New Zealand something you do full time or is it a part-time passion of yours?

_______

I have extensively travelled the North Island and visited some truly remarkable places like the legendary 90-mile beach, Cape Reinga, the Dunes of Pouto, the magnificent plains of Tongariro and the ancient Akatawara rain forest.

There is so much more to see and explore not just here on the North Island, but also down South, reachable via a 3.5-hour ferry trip. This will be next year’s destination.

I invite you to join me on my journey as I keep on showcasing my travels. Subscribing and following my travels on YouTube, Instagram, TiKTok and Facebook help my ambitions to become a full time travel content creator with this very special car.