740bhp Cayenne

Specialist Porsche tuner Gemballa has turned its attention from Carrera GTs and 911s to a more surprising target - the Cayenne SUV. The result is the rather striking Gemballa Tornado. Just 50 will be made, with two versions and three states of tune.

The GTS is designed with comfort in mind while the GTR is all about performance, with luxury items thrown out, polycarbonate side and rear windows replacing glass and racing bucket seats in the place of plush leather ones. The twin-turbo 4.8-litre V8 from the Porsche Cayenne Turbo is tuned up to develop 542, 641 or 740bhp - all bulky improvements over the standard production car's 494bhp.

Power upgrades come courtesy of intercoolers double the size of Porsche's, as well as stainless steel pressure pipes and a freeflow turbo boost system which improves throttle response and helps to crank up the performance.

The top-end 740bhp versions get exhaust pipes integrated into the car's sideskirts, boosting the noise made by the more raucous power plant, while there's also the addition of a RPM-meter that incorporates a gearchange light.

All Gemballa-tuned Cayennes gain a bunch of extra air intakes - just look at the size of the main openings at the front - while the chassis is cleaned up and designed for aerodynamic function rather than mud-plugging ability. Sports suspension is fitted, complete with ball bearing shafts for better shock absorption. A sprinkling of carbon on the mirrors, fenders, rear spoiler and hatchback help to cut weight by over 250kg - although that probably won't stop the Tornado from topping two tons. To help bring all that mass to a quick halt, both front and rear brakes get large air ducts to keep them ventilated.

Exterior wise, it makes a regular Cayenne look pretty sedate. Carbon fibre trimmed lights, chunky alloys and extremely wide rubber are joined by a carbon bonnet, rear diffuser and four massive exhaust pipes. If you manage to see one of the handful produced by Gemballa, it certainly can't be mistaken for anything else...