The biggest phenomenon of the car world this century is the inexorable rise of SUVs. You have them in all shapes and sizes, for every occasion and every purpose. Even true-blue sports car makers like Porsche, Maserati and Lamborghini have embraced this high-riding body type which is the antithesis of the sleek, low-slung sports cars these storied brands originally built their legacy and reputation on. Ferrari,, too, has just launched its first ever SUV which, not long ago, was anathema to the famous Italian marque. It shows that even hallowed brands have no sacred cows left but have succumbed to what is the cash cow of the car market.

The sports car SUV

But there’s another world out there which both Porsche and Lamborghini are exploring. Instead of just making SUVs that think they are sports cars, why not also make sports cars that think they are SUVs? Porsche and Lamborghini have done just that. They’ve taken their low riding, ground-hugging sports cars, jacked them up and slapped on chunky all-terrain tyres and protective underbody steel plates that are more fit for an SUV than a sports car. Porsche was the first to kick off this new trend with the 911 Dakar, which is tribute to the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally-winning 911 and certainly looks the part. Porsche have made only 2,500 911 Dakars, but the bad news is that India hasn’t a single unit allocated from this limited production.

Lamborghini has taken a leaf out of Porsche’s Dakar playbook with the Huracán…