Porsche Panamera Turbo Camera Car Returns into Focus at Rennsport Reunion V

The carmaker used its Twitter channel to bring the filming Panamera into the attention of those who have missed us so far, with a video being available here.

This pre-facelift Panamera Turbo was converted into a camera car by Chase Cars Inc and has already worked on plenty of cool stuff. From IndyCar shoots to Honda motorcycles, Top Gear USA productions and others, this Panamera puts its twin-turbo V8 to good use.

However, the party trick of this Porsche is not its engine, but its five-seater form. No, the rear seats weren't replaced with a bench. Instead, the rear hatch was turned into some sort of turret and can now welcome the camera operator.

There's a jump seat fitted in there, facing the passenger seat, so that the operator can take perfect care of the shots that target the driver's side, which make up for the majority of the projects this car gets to work on.

Why do five people need to share a car for a commercial to happen?

The headcount will explain all that. We have the driver, a camera guy in the passenger seat, the director of photography supervising the action in the rear, while the director does the same thing. That's why the camera man had to be moved to the back.

This gives the Panamera an advantage over the company's other wicked camera car, a Cayenne Turbo - the camera guy gets a much better view of the action.

Another asset of the Panamera is its agility compared to the Cayenne. In its wildest shots, the thing has passed 100 mph (160 km/h). Remember, this is a Porsche that uses a crane supporting monstrously expensive equipment as a top hat.

Sure, the Cayenne's ground clearance means it can be used for sessions in the desert, on salt flats or simply during winter.

We've added a gallery of both four-door Porsches in below, so you can enjoy their blacked-out splendor. For those asking, the murdered these is here to keep the light from reflecting off the camera car.

As for the financial side of such high-end camera work, rumor has it the Panamera cost $160,000 (EUR143,000), while a day of filming (without the crew) will set you back over $7,000 (EUR6,250). Then again, when have Porsches ever been affordable?