Road and Driver

The Germans give this SUV some (more) attitude.

BY JORDAN BROWN

Porsche has announced plans to offer U.S. customers its latest special edition of the Cayenne SUV. Building upon the sporty Cayenne GTS, this is the third Porsche Design Edition in the series—and the first sport-ute—and gets a host of interior and exterior upgrades that have it looking fit for a German Batman.

Sprayed in what Porsche calls Lava Grey Metallic paint and festooned with racing stripes, the DE3 also features color-matched 21-inch wheels, blacked-out bi-xenon headlights, and tinted windows that add to the SUV’s menacing exterior. Also available to customers at no additional charge is an extended roof-mounted spoiler similar to the one found on the Subaru WRX STI. The final exterior flourishes are the Porsche Design Edition 3 graphics on the doors.

Keep Reading: 2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 - Car News

This Car and Driver: The people and vehicles we meet.

BY JOHN PHILLIPS

Who: Bob Simpson, 66
What: Owner of Bob’s Classics, Inc.
Where: Tampa, Florida

For 18 years, you’ve sold neo-classics like Excaliburs, Clenets, and Zimmers. Why?
Because they look like million-dollar classics but are easy to maintain. You can drive them every day and not worry if they get banged up.

A lot of enthusiasts think neo-classics are dorky.
I don’t know why. Hot-rodders think nothing of a fiberglass Ford bucket-T, powered by a big-block Chevy. Why is that intellectually better or worse than a neo-classic?

What’s been your best seller?
Mercedes 500K replicas. I’ve sold at least 100.

What do you drive on the street?
An Aston Martin DB7 Vantage—my middle name is James, as in Bond—and a Dodge Viper GTS. I abused the Viper on the day Obama won, because I’m a gun collector. I’ve got 150-some handguns.

But weren’t you shot by a handgun?
I was. In 2002, a former employee forged a company check, and I confronted him. He shot six rounds at me as I was running. The very first round—his first damn shot—got me in the butt. The other five hit a truck. The scar looks like a vaccination. The bullet’s still in my butt.

Keep Reading: Are Neoclassics Dorky? Bob Simpson Votes No - Feature