Classic pearl of the future - Porsche Carrera GT
01/18/2020
There are few cars that sound as different from most others and at the same time have a very high recognition value visually as the Porsche Carrera GT.
From 2003 to 2006, just 1282 examples were built, including the prototypes. They were sold for just over EUR 452,000, including luggage set and ceramic brakes. That was a hefty sum of money back then, but today a price tag like that no longer scares anyone.
The engine was actually intended for racing, but the ten-cylinder engine with 612 hp at 8000 rpm was installed exclusively in the Type 980, as the Carrera GT was known internally.
Shifting was manual, initially with a wooden knob and through six gears, later a Kevlar gearshift lever could also be ordered. The wheels were suspended on double wishbones at the front and rear, everything looked like racing.
Not all owners knew how to use the clutch, replacements were expensive and it wore out quickly, especially at the beginning, if you didn't drive off at idle speed.
The Porsche Carrera GT was not necessarily compact, but the modern super sports cars of the competition are no smaller than 4.613 meters in length and 1.921 meters in width. Some of them may be a little better in the wind tunnel; 0.39 cW was not a top performance back in 2003. On the other hand, the kerb weight of 1380 kg was low thanks to the CFRP monocoque and plastic body.
The driving performance was unearthly for the time, but electric sports cars or hybrid racers can now do better. But the high-revving ten-cylinder sound, which perhaps the Lexus could still do, that was it.
Prices have remained at the highest level; the Carrera GT has never been cheap. Even today, just 15 years after it was built, it would be hard to find a good example for the original price. So there's really no need to discuss whether this Porsche, which had hardly anything in common with its peers, is a classic gem, not only in the future, but probably even today. The term "neoclassic" has been coined for this category.
