Dubai. Proving the durability of Porsche’s endearing first-generation E1 Cayenne, one Dubai-based adventurer entered the destination of Kuwait into his GPS, packed a bag of clothes and hit the highway in his 2009 model Cayenne, and kept going.
22-year old Mateo Moussaoui, eventually drove through 28 countries, covering more than 34,000km in his stock Cayenne V6 to prove that a showroom-spec car with minimal modifications could achieve the task.
The kicker is that his car has already covered 276,000 kms before he embarked on the epic journey.
“The whole point of my trip was to do it with a completely stock car,” said Moussaoui.
“I didn’t modify it, other than update the headlights for better vision, but still with OEM Porsche parts. It ran with its factory 21-inch wheels on low profile tyres, so if I hit a pothole, it probably could have caused trouble but I was never left stranded in a completely standard car.”
Speaking beside his car at Icons of Porsche at the Dubai Design District, Mateo said he wanted to do the journey in a Porsche because it’s the marque his family have spent so much time in during his early years.
“Porsche is my forever brand and I wouldn't have chosen another car to do the trip in. I have always been into Porsches and the first car my parents put me in after exiting the hospital when I was born was our family 911 993. My Dad said there was just enough room in the back.”
The only maintenance required for the four-month journey that took him from the UAE deserts to the snow fields of Switzerland was regular oil changes and new spark plugs in London.
“Oil changes are the cheapest insurance to ensure the engine stays strong. It’s the ultimate testament to its durability and it didn’t skip a beat.”
From Dubai, Mateo drove to Kuwait via Saudi Arabia. From there he continued on to Iraq, Turkey and across to Europe crossing through England, Scotland and Wales.
“The most challenging part of the journey was negotiating the border entry from Kuwait into Iraq around Basra, which was an experience. I spent four hours at the border and there were 20 kiosks for documents and fees.”
After its return to Dubai, Mateo gave it another oil change but it’s still running on the same tyres after giving them a rotation in Monaco at the 13,000 km mark.
Despite conquering Saudi Arabian deserts, jagged mountains of Iraq, snow-capped peaks of Italy, fording lakes in Switzerland and cruising German Autobahns, Mateo decided his E1 Cayenne needed to complete a lap of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.
“It was insane to think that I’ve done this massive loop of the world and my Cayenne that now has over 300,000 kms on it, and yet that 20.8 km of the Nürburgring north circuit was easily the hardest kilometres that car has ever done. But again, it survived without a problem.”
After some rest for both car and driver, a new expedition is already in the pipeline with Mateo planning to take his Cayenne to visit Jordan, Syria and Lebanon as well as a few more Scandinavian countries and later plans to drive it through Asia, America and Africa.
“I’ve covered 28 countries without a hitch in a car that is absolutely as standard as the day it left the factory, so why would I stop now?
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Scene and Passion
