GTS Cayenne goins Porsche's A-list club

Porsche's Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3.

Porsche has given its GTS Cayenne sports utility vehicle an exclusive makeover, adding it to the list of Design Edition vehicles that already includes the Cayman S and Boxster S.

The work is courtesy of the Porsche Design studio in Austria, the design arm of the company which is responsible for creating everything from kitchens to top-end mobile phones.

The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 has Lava Grey paintwork highlighted with matte-black stripes on the bonnet and flanks and 21-inch alloys co-ordinated to match the exterior colour.

Inside the cabin, the seats are draped in black leather and Alcantara trim and the Porsche Design Edition 3 logo appears on the rev counter, door sills and in the glove compartment on a specially engraved plaque.

There is also a 14-speaker Bose sound system.

It's business as usual under the bonnet with a 302kW 4.8-litre V8 coupled to the six-speed Tiptronic S transmission. The sports exhaust remains untouched too.

The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 will be limited to 1000 units worldwide and priced in Britain from 65,000 ($164,000). Porsche will be accepting orders from next month, although availability and pricing for New Zealand is yet to be confirmed.

Buyers won't just get the car though. Included in the price is a Porsche Design titanium watch made to match the car and a four-piece luggage set.

The same deal applies to buyers of the Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1 and the Boxster S Porsche Design Edition 2.

The watch and its metal strap is treated with a carbon coating carried over from race engines.

The four-piece luggage set comprises three trolley cases and a briefcase. All items may be used as carry-on travel baggage on aircraft, with the exception of the largest trolley case.

The special GTS edition comes soon after the 250,000th Cayenne model rolled off the Porsche plant. The first-edition Cayenne sold 150,000 cars worldwide before the second-generation version appeared in February 2007.

Today the Cayenne series is available in seven different models, ranging from the entry-level V6 diesel, that has just gone on sale in New Zealand, to the Porsche Design edition and the Cayenne S Transsyberia for on- and off-road driving.