Rinspeed Plays by Its Own Rules which is Evident in the Chopster

Ferrero Rocher, Guylian, Lindt, Toblerone, Rinspeed; what do these brand names have in common? All five are premium Swiss

Rinspeed provides a Swiss twist on the American definition of "hotrod" with its new Porsche Cayenne Turbo-based Chopster. (Photo: Rinspeed)

products, and each is so sweet that they'll give you a serious rush. The first four are chocolate manufacturers, of course, with the last one being the automotive equivalent to Switzerland's most popular premium confection, and without a doubt its latest concoction is even more addictive if your taste buds can overcome the odd flavor.

After all, it's not everyday that someone chops a Porsche Cayenne; yes, the traditional American hotrod pastime of shortening each roof pillar to make a car look longer, lower and leaner, usually done to domestically made cars of the '30s, '40s and '50s. While the vehicle in question is from the 21st century and built in Leipzig, Germany, Rinspeed's Chopster follows all the other guidelines which make it an authentic hotrod.

While more or less playing by American hotrod rules, Rinspeed simultaneously breaks as many conventional European performance

Using its own line of tuning components, Rinspeed has bumped output to 600 horsepower. (Photo: Rinspeed)

vehicle tenets by its eccentric sense of creativity. But chopping a Cayenne is mild compared to some of the other unorthodox projects the specialty car builder has dreamt up. Its engineers modernize, customize and arguably brutalize vehicles already in existence, and other times fabricate completely original creations from scratch.

For instance, one of the wildest was the Bedouin, a crossover supercar-pickup truck off-roader crafted from a Porsche 911 Turbo. The Chopster is nowhere near as comprehensive a redo, but just the same shocks European auto show goers who see it with wonder and awe.

Like the name Chopster suggests, the Cayenne has gone through a dramatic "chop", or lowering of the roof. As previously

A Jekyll/Hyde transformation: what started out as a Cayenne Turbo is now the hulking Chopster. (Photo: Rinspeed)

mentioned, this distinctive part of hotrod culture involves dramatically shortening the pillars for the purpose of increasing top speed by lowering drag resistance, which dates back to the common top-speed shootouts held on desert salt flats. Rinspeed's donor Cayenne had its A, B, C and D pillars shortened by a whopping six inches. Compared to the old days of chopping hotrods, modern day safety regulations require intensive structural work to ensure safety, unheard of in the '30s, '40s and '50s when seatbelts didn't even exist in most cars.

With fifteen centimeters of high-tensile steel missing from the Chopster's pillars, Rinspeed realized that the roof and what remained of the pillars wasn't enough to protect its passengers in a collision and maintain standard levels of rigidity, especially in a rollover. In order to compensate for the lost strength, Rinspeed's engineers analyzed the structure finding that the best remedy was to remove the rear doors, and then strengthen the surrounding pillars and window frames. The

The Bedouin was a radical go-anywhere pickup/utility vehicle/sports car based on the 911 Turbo that helped to inspire the Chopster. (Photo: Rinspeed)

conversion from five doors to three restored the loss of stiffness, and gives the Chopster a truly unique appearance.

One look and it's easy to see that the visual modifications didn't just stop at the doors and roof. The original proportions of the Cayenne Turbo were kept intact, including the unmistakable headlamps and general layout of the three-piece front grille, but the SUV's face has been reworked with larger "black out" intakes for the front-mounted intercoolers, which lead off to a valance stretching well below the defined edges of the regular Cayenne. Both front and rear fenders have adopted large extensions which follow the arched contours of the wheel wells before stopping by the vertical running lines of the front door and tailgate.

As if the impact of the Chopster's bodywork weren't enough, Rinspeed has finished the genetically altered SUV with a coat

The one-off Splash concept was created to one-up the recent influx of land and water-capable vehicles. (Photo: Rinspeed)

of eye-catching metallic tangerine paint, and a set of massive rims. Massive is an understatement in this case as the Chopster rides on 10Jx23 (23-inch) five-spoke three-piece alloy wheels. These giants are wrapped in 305 width high-performance rubber with zero off-road capabilities. Such changes, as well as a bulged hood and an upgraded braking system, all point to signs that there's something equally sensational lurking beneath the Chopster's hulk-like skin.

As it stands, one of the fastest and best-handling factory-built SUVs is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Its 450 horsepower 4.5-liter turbocharged V8 is robust enough to propel it to 60 mph in a mere 5.5 seconds, not bad considering its considerable heft. Following the hotrod ideal of pushing a motor to its absolute limits in the quest for power, the V8 has been modified to 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Made possible through modifications on the intercooler, computer system, turbocharger and other components from Rinspeed's own product range, the Chopster is capable of hitting 100 km/h in under five seconds, and achieves an estimated top speed of 180 mph!

For the better part, the Chopster utilizes the Cayenne's interior, which is Porsche's best yet. Keeping much of its ergonomics and practicality, less the drop in headroom, it offers a wide variety of trim options such as real carbon fiber or aluminum accents, replacing the stock vehicle's plastic and wood. Rinspeed also fitted in four racing-style bucket seats to keep

Rinspeed also develops practical solutions to problems many people face: natural-gas power, safety and size issues included. (Photo: Rinspeed)

occupants firmly in place. A hidden, integrated roll bar ensures that should the worst happen, those inside will be safe.

In recent years Rinspeed has grown significantly, and with that so has the number of concept and production vehicles produced. Experimental vehicles such as the hydrofoil-inspired Splash and city-friendly, folding Presto are strictly concept cars. The Chopster, however, could easily be adapted to production. If and when the Swiss firm decides to give the hotrod SUV the green light, pricing would start somewhere in the range of 325,000 to 375,000 euros ($400,000 - $460,000 USD). It wouldn't be cheap, but to some the SUV's stellar performance and stunning styling, which borders on madness, would be enough to justify the cost.