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Ultimate Freedom Is Made Of a V8 Cayenne Ready To Hit The Trails
Ultimate Freedom Is Made Of a V8 Cayenne Ready To Hit The Trails
Photos by Serafico
They say that when you taste the wilderness, it is very hard to come back to what many call a normal life. Deep into the woods, across the mountains or lost in some dense vegetation resides a peace of mind able to awaken the primordial desire to experience pure freedom, even better if you can bring a roaring V8 with you. Just think – what if – adding your girlfriend, three dogs and a private forest to the equation.
That’s exactly what Nikolai tells us while storming with his Cayenne through the trees, leaving behind a cloud of dust and the frenziness of a city life all of us would trade for this ultimate freedom.
Hi Nikolai, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, I’m Nikolai, a 32y old petrolhead, who loves both on- and off-road driving. Car designer for a living and wannabe mechanic on weekends. I have a passion for DIY solutions and value the technical condition of a car much more than cosmetical perfection.
Tell us about your Cayenne. Does it pay homage to the Transsyberia special edition?
Not at all, at least not if we’re talking about style. Even though I appreciate the 957 Transsyberia Edition, I got inspired by the orange bumpers of some classic Porsche racecars. Unlike the Transsyberia Orange, my bumpers are painted in RAL2005 “Leuchtorange”, which is an almost fluorescent paint also used for sea rescue boats and such similar. Stunning color in reality but difficult to catch on photo.
When talking about Cayenne off road, everybody is just thinking about to the dominating success of all the 957 that have been sponsored by Porsche in 2007. Few people know, two private teams won the same race already 2006 in their modified 955 S Cayenne models. That’s why – for me – the 955 is the true hero while the 957 should pay homage to these two private teams.
Why do everything seem much more alive out there into the wild?
You are suggesting the answer in the question: the rough wilderness creates a strong contrast to manmade shiny objects. This applies especially to a luxury SUV that has only been associated with fast highway driving or mall parkings for over a decade. The ultimate freedom is out there, that’s what makes you feel alive.
This is gonna be quick: best road / the worst one / the most dangerous / the climb of a lifetime.
The best road for my Cayenne is any kind of gravel road, the worst one is every tight turn in a city, the most dangerous a narrow mountain trail that reminds me on the width and weight of the car and the climb of a lifetime would be something like pikes peak before they paved it – even though the naturally aspirated engine would loose a lot of power up there.
Is there any particular road trip you’d like to talk about?
Yes. Even though I’ve been to the western Alps many times and therefore know most of the trails up there, this summer was special to me. For the first time since my childhood I shared a week of pure Offroading with my dad. Camping together in a car that we are both passioned about. We’ve done trips like this in his Pajero back then, a beautiful dark red V20 “classic” with V6 petrol engine and of course manual gearbox. After selling it, we lost the offroad connection for a while. Life kept us busy with other things and during my car design studies I heavily focused on sports cars and fast street driving. My dad supported me as always, but he never really enjoyed it himself. The Cayenne brings both worlds together, speed and driving on the limit, but off the road.
Have you ever been in an unexpected situation?
It was in the first weeks of Cayenne ownership, where I understood that even a well engineered Porsche SUV follows the laws of simple physics. It’s a heavy car that accelerates quickly, a manual gearbox and a playful suspension which both make you feel like in much lighter car. I really didn’t expect how long it could take to stop such a mass of metal on a gravel road, surrounded by trees. I’ve been lucky and learned my lesson.
So, what are the things you can’t leave home when preparing for a road trip?
Besides a full size mattress in the rear; a powerful twin piston air compressor, a tire repair kit and a full spare, 4 recovery boards, general recovery gear and a toolbox full of zipties and ducktape.
Is it better to climb during the spring/summer season, or in autumn/winter?
Since most pass roads in Italy are closed or not accessible during winter, climbing high altitudes is only possible during summer. Personally I prefer to go in early spring or late autumn, because the season changes offer a bit more diversity in colors and weather than the hot and dry summers. Wouldn’t mind some snow action this year though.
Do you have other cars other than the Cayenne? How do they cope with your driving passion?
I own two other cars and – like the Cayenne – they are both dream cars without compromise for me. My first love is a black 3-door Golf 5 GTI, bought more than ten years ago. It underwent significant character changes over time: from a perfectly clean and original brochure sample, it turned into an engine swapped street toy. This stayed as long as I got myself a Lotus 111R – better known as Elise S2 – which completely took over the street toy part. When Covid hit us all hard, I felt the need to escape into nature, like back then with our Pajero. Having plenty of time and patience during lockdown, I created @safariGTI in my garage with simple tools. A lifted, overpowered Golf with roofrack, auxiliary lights and bolt on fenders – carefully executed and painfully homologated in every detail by the way. Once we were free again, I took my girlfriend and our three dogs to explore the Alps. The car performed incredibly well for a FWD, but obviously reached its limits soon. Cayenne was the answer, while the GTI became a reliable fun daily… with bolt on fenders and all terrain tires.
Already planned your next big adventure?
I’m dreaming of many adventures with the Cayenne but in reality, being just spontaneous rather than planning much. Currently I live in it, together with my girlfriend in her parent’s private forest. That’s kind of a big adventure and was not planned at all. What I enjoy most are trips with likeminded people, having fun together and maybe grow a strong community around this very particular car. To all of you who are now checking the market: Yes, it can be painful. You may need to sacrifice new shoes just to fill up for the weekend, or you sell your bicycle to afford a Porsche specific fuel purge valve. Still you will smile, because this car combines offroad capabilities and driving pleasure in a way no traditional Offroader can.
Whoever wants to get into Cayenne ownership and modifications, feel free to contact me on Instagram or in person, whenever you see my car somewhere. I’m happy to give advice and share my experiences with anyone who is interested. Sending you best wishes from the rear of my V8manual955 and hope to meet some of you on the trails!
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