Strange Speed: 1st gen Porsche Cayenne GTS Manual

https://www.dpccars.com/photos/09-08-07page-Porsche-Cayenne-GTS.htm

The first generation of Porsche Cayenne was largely hated for its lets say, strange, appearance. But, regardless of your stance on the Cayenne, one thing is certain, it paved the way for the modern sporty SUV. Everyone who knows cars knows that there are many different flavors of Cayenne ranging from diesels to turbocharged V8's but most people don't know about the manual transmission option that was offered in the 1st gen's base V6 but, more importantly, in GTS trim.

https://www.pca.org/news/2017-03-17/model-guide-first-generation-cayenne-2003-10

The 2008 Cayenne GTS had a 4.8 liter V8 putting out 400 horsepower and 370 pound feet of torque. It could hit 60 in 5.7 seconds which is still very respectable ten years later. Modern fast SUV's may be significantly quicker, but none offer the level of engagement that this Cayenne offers. Here in the United States, we are deprived of sporty manual SUV options. In fact, right now in 2018 there are no new sporty SUV's you can buy that have a manual transmission. So, those who want to row their own gears in a big sporty V8 SUV must resort to this ten year old masterpiece.