Finished in GTS Red, the first shade in the company's history created specifically for a GTS model. and withdrawn when the 957 Cayenne ended; and it was some years before Porsche brought it back, this time as a Paint to Sample option on the 911, where it is a five-figure decision rather than a free one. Inside is the other half of the GTS signature, and the beginning of a convention. Black leather across the surfaces that have to wear well, Alcantara everywhere the driver actually makes contact. Porsche has applied the same logic to every GTS it has built since, renaming the material Race-Tex along the way, but the thinking is unchanged: grip where it matters, hide for the rest. Against the red paint it reads exactly as intended, which is to say soberly. What makes this particular car worth spending time over, though, is the part of the order form that was left blank. No air suspension and no sunroof. In 2008 that would have looked like thrift. Twenty years later it looks like foresight, because those are the two systems where first-generation Cayennes tend to empty their owners' pockets struts that perish, compressors that give up, roof drains that block and frames that seize. This one has neither. It sits instead on the steel sports chassis Porsche engineered the GTS around in the first place, beneath a solid roof that is stiffer and taller inside. Whether it was arrived at by judgement or by economy, it is the specification to own now. It is not an austere car. BOSE surround sound was fitted from new, and in the centre console sits a Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus unit - Porsche's own factory-built head unit, with a seven-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, DAB and navigation, designed by Porsche Classic to look as though it had always been there. Worth knowing: Porsche certified the system only for first-generation Cayennes built up to the 2008 model year. Later 957s cannot have it. This one can, and does. Thirteen stamps in the book and since arriving with us it has had a full inspection, a new clutch and dual-mass flywheel in genuine Porsche parts, new front suspension arms and a full service. On the button and ready to be enjoyed. We don't use the phrase lightly. Find another one.