We'll start with a double entendre: Porsche has been exploring niches again, with the Detroit motor show giving debuts for both the 911 Targa 4 GTS and the new Cayenne Turbo S.
Needs a big bum for that badge...
Meaning that those internet rumours we were going to see the
GT3 RS
here proved wide of the mark - anticipate that one for the Geneva show in March. But you'd be hard pressed to argue that the two new models don't both mark sensible strategic steps for Porsche.
The Targa 4 GTS is pure Dr. Frankenstein model planning: the GTS's more powerful 424hp engine, standard Sport Chrono package and design tweaks crossed with the Targa 4's magic sliding roof and four-wheel drive system. Buyers will be able to choose between a manual transmission and PDK, with the auto giving a 4.1-sec 0-60mph time and a 186mph top speed. Or, if you prefer, a very round all-rounder. The official line is that it's been built to celebrate the Targa's 50th anniversary, and it will cost £104,385 when it goes on sale in the UK in March.
That's 2015's most offensive car tied up then
The Cayenne Turbo S is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, an S-ed version of the already mega-quick Cayenne Turbo. And a clear statement from Stuttgart that its not going to surrender its fastest SUV credentials without a battle. Power goes up to 561hp, accompanied by 590lb ft of torque, and although the straight line performance figures are impressive (or scary) enough - 176mph flat-out and a 3.8-sec 0-60mph time - the Turbo S's most intimidating stat is a claimed 7:59.74 Nordschleife lap time. That's right: this is the sub-8 minute SUV. Or, to put it another way, a 2.2-tonne off-roader that gets within three seconds of the time recorded by the 996 GT3 back in 1999, as ridiculous as that sounds. It's also a fair bit quicker than the
Range Rover Sport SV-R
... The Cayenne Turbo S goes on sale later in the spring and will cost £118,455.