2005 Porsche Carrera GT

2005 Porsche Carrera GT

One of the most evocative model designations in motoring history, 'Carrera' has been adorning Porsches since the mid-1950s, having been adopted following the German manufacturer's triumph in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana in Mexico. When Porsche decided to attach the 'GT' appellation to 'Carrera' in 2004, it marked a return to its competition roots, the new flagship supercar's looks recalling those of the original Type 550 of 50-plus years ago. Known as 'Project Code 80', the program to develop a front-ranking supercar had begun following Porsche's Le Mans win with the 911 GT1 in 1998.

The first hint that Porsche was planning something very special was dropped in 2000 when a concept car designed by American Grant Larson appeared on the Stuttgart manufacturer's stand at the Paris Motor Show. Its overwhelmingly favorable reception gave Porsche the green light to commence development of a version suitable for production.

It would have been all too easy to stick with the tried and tested flat-six engine design used in the 911 and Boxster, which Porsche had done when developing its last supercar, the 959, but the new model needed to be significantly different in order to achieve the desired impact. Fortunately, there was a suitable power unit to hand: a 5.5-litre four-cam V10 developed a few years prior for a still-born Le Mans racer. The latter had incorporated a carbon-fiber monocoque, as had the GT1, and this state-of-the-art method of construction was carried over to the Carrera GT, albeit in a form that met the requirements of a road car. Porsche's engineers gave themselves an additional set of problems to solve by extending the use of this material to the engine support structure. The development of a small-diameter, multi-plate clutch incorporating ceramic composite materials enabled the V10 engine to be mounted low in the chassis, resulting in a lower center of gravity than would have been possible with a flat six. Before production commenced the V10 would be enlarged to 5.7 liters, producing its maximum of 612bhp at 8,000rpm. A six-speed manual transmission was the only one available.

Clearly, a car of such importance would have to possess perfect road manners before being released for sale, and to ensure this perfection Porsche employed racing driver Walter Röhrl to assist with development, which included countless laps of the demanding Nürburgring circuit. In the interests of high-speed stability, the rear body incorporates a wing that is raised automatically at around 75mph, retracting when the speed drops back to 50mph. This was no mere gimmick but a vital necessity in a car capable of exceeding 200mph.

The Carrera GT's suspension is pure competition-car, featuring unequal-length control arms all round with horizontally mounted gas shock absorbers operated via pushrods and rockers. Its brakes too are racetrack developed, consisting of six-piston aluminum calipers gripping 15" diameter ceramic composite discs that are more heat resistant and 50% lighter than cast-iron equivalents. More weight was saved from the wheels, which are made of forged magnesium (19" front, 20" rear) while ABS was standard equipment, as was power assistance for the steering.

When the production Carrera GT went on sale in 2004 it looked remarkably similar to the 2000 Paris Show car yet was subtly different in countless ways. One more obvious difference was the GT's roof, a feature lacking on the open prototype, which consisted of two parts that could be removed for stowage in the front luggage compartment. The Carrera GT was offered in five different factory colors, Guards Red, Fayence Yellow, GT Silver, Seal Grey and Basalt Black. Inside, the seats were made of leather-trimmed carbon fiber while the gear lever knob was made of wood, recalling the unlikely use of this traditional material on the legendary Porsche 917 endurance racer.

Of course, it is no longer sufficient merely to deliver the ultimate in on-the-road performance: these days the discerning supercar buyer also demands the very latest in in-car mobile telecommunications technology. The Carrera GT project engineers did not skimp in this respect, equipping it with 'Porsche Online Pro' satellite navigation incorporating a Bose sound system, hands-free 'phone, and email, and Internet connectivity. A five-piece luggage set was included in the specification at no extra cost, though, perhaps surprisingly, air conditioning was an optional 'extra'. Porsche stated that only 1,500 Carrera GTs would be made, thereby emphasizing the car's exclusivity, and each example carries a numbered plaque on the center console (the factory retained 'No.1' for its museum). When Car & Driver tested a production Carrera GT, the respected American motoring magazine recorded a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds with 160km/h arriving only 3.3 seconds later. The Carrera GT would turn out to be even more exclusive than its maker had originally intended, for when production ceased in 2007 only 1,207 had been completed, with just 644 of them specified for the US market.

Descriptions and pictures by bonhams