Porsche's first real utility vehicle dates back to the 1950s
Plus, it might have the coolest name of any Porsche model ever.
The story usually goes that Porsche built its first SUV, the Cayenne, in order to keep the lights on while it continued to build sports cars. But Porsche's first utility vehicle was not, in fact, the Cayenne. It was actually the Jagdwagen, which is not only a sweet name, but also a pretty beefy 4x4.
As with other utility vehicles that came about in the mid-20th century, the Jagdwagen was built for military use. It was positioned as a spiritual brother to Volkswagen's Kübelwagen and the Willys MB. Sadly, it never made it to production, as Germany's army chose to award its contract to the less expensive DKW Munga.
The Jagdwagen weighs about 2,200 pounds, which is a little less than a new Miata. It's powered by the same flat-four engine found in Porsche's 356, and it's mounted in the rear. It's not exactly powerful, and its 50 horsepower won't get you much faster than 62 mph, but speed wasn't the goal here. Purists will be happy to find that the Jagdwagen comes with a five-speed manual.
If you're wondering where the doors are, there aren't any -- you just climb over the side, and you're in. The body is actually buoyant, which means it's amphibious to a degree. Can your Cayenne do that? (Please don't try.)
Porsche ended up producing 71 Jagdwagens, and the one you see here will be auctioned off at this year's Goodwood Revival. Bonhams' website believes it will fetch between $220,000 and $260,000, which is enough money to get you two nicely equipped Cayennes. But those Cayennes won't have fabric roofs, will they?
