Why? He wants me to find out myself, by handing me the keys to his chrome jewel. And I am going back in time. Way back into time. What a feeling with this beautiful air cooled 4-cyl. boxer engine in the back on this dusty track.

After a cool drive it is back to the future for Andrew. To say the least, he is sceptical about the concept of an electric Porsche. But it is one that just outsold the iconic 911 for the first time. The traditional Porsche driver pushes the start button of the soundless fully, electric Taycan, which sold 20 000 units in the rather challenging Corona year 2020. Mostly in first world countries, where load shedding is a foreign concept.

And off we go. Andrew’s initial reluctance turns to surprised bewilderment, then enjoyment, especially on his beloved dirt road. ‘I can’t believe it, it’s a Porsche. It feels and reacts like one. Even the tails spins out!’

Yes, the newest Taycan, the high-riding Cross Turismo is – in gravel mode - meant to be driven on loose surfaces as well as on tarmac. Pushing into new territory. I think the Sportback style rear suits the car very well, with more space inside and better looks.

There is obviously all-wheel drive and an adjustable air suspension. It has 20mm more ground clearance and it is 11 mm longer than the regular Taycan. An optional off road design pack with more protection against stone chips adds another 10mm of ground clearance - and about R40 000. The Cross Turismo can do off road, except rock climbing.

The power distribution is perfect and the huge brakes are necessary to stop the 2300 kg vehicle. Inside it is identical to the other Taycan, including digitised air vents. So you have to adjust the ventilation with your fingers on the touch screen. Due to the design the boot space increased from 366 to 405 litres - with much better access.

Like with its brethren the sensory feeling of an internal combustion Porsche is missing, but made up partially with this exhilarating performance.