Monday 21st May 2018

Showpiece of the Week: Porsche Carrera GT

How can a £700k CGT be good value? By being a third of the price of an Enzo, that's how...

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There isn't a car fan left that doesn't know what a Porsche Carrera GT is by now. For some they may have had the misfortune to discover it through the death of Paul Walker, but nobody with a passing interest in four wheels will be in any doubt when you say 'Carrera GT'. Unless they think that model name should have an 'S' on the end and be affixed to a Macan. Then you should end the conversation.

For those who knew about the car from its 2003 launch, the CGT represents something extremely special - even by the exalted standards of Porsche supercars. Born out of an abandoned Le Mans project - the LMP2000 car of course famously donated its V10 engine - the Carrera GT arrived at a memorable time for supercars. Ferrari had just launched the Enzo, McLaren and Mercedes were collaborating on the SLR, Pagani was making huge strides with the Zonda and, while the Lamborghini Murcielago was operating on a lower plane, a 640hp version wasn't far off.

So what could the Carrera GT bring to the party? Plenty. Not only was there the Le Mans connection - and therefore a tangible motorsport link - the CGT was carbon tubbed (and so hundreds of kilos lighter than the McMerc), fantastically good looking and, perhaps most importantly of all, boasted a manual transmission. Manual only, too, which looks like an astute decision just 15 years later.

Because while the Porsche's six-speed was (and remains) precise, rewarding and a joy to use - once rolling off the ceramic clutch, that is - the Mercedes is lumbered with a five-speed torque converter and the Enzo an automated F1 manual. Neither of those will feel great in 2018, which is the very opposite of the Carrera GT's gearbox. Porsche is known for great manuals, and the GTs is no different; combine its direct, satisfying action with spot on pedal weights plus the complete lack of inertia in the V10, and you can hopefully see the appeal.

This particular GT intrigues as a Showpiece this week thanks to its late production status - it is chassis number 1224 of 1270 made - and rare colour combo of black with red leather. Plus the fact it's a UK supplied example. Moreover, while its £700k asking price is a fair climb from the £250k nadir once enjoyed by the Porsche, it still looks acceptable given the market's state.

Think of it this way: the Carrera GT has an engine destined for a Le Mans car and a manual gearbox in one of the most beautiful supercar shapes ever made, while this 2.7 RS is £555,000. Sure, it's an important homologation Porsche. But it's still just a 911. This Enzo is rare, with just 400 produced, but is for sale at £2.2m with another 3,000 miles. And while a Murcielago SV is cool, its underpinnings are more ordinary than the Porsche. And it's half a million.

So there's a very compelling case for the Carrera GT to be in the Euromillions garage. That it's also a fabulous car to drive - assisted now by the new Michelin tyres - almost seems immaterial given the styling, the mystique and that engine. It's up there with the very best of the analogue hypercars, the F1s and F50s of this world; as that period slips ever further away, expect its allure to grow further still.

See the full ad here.

[Cupra92]

RIP Paul Walker

[STiG911]

Yep, Breaks the Want-o-meter every time.

[anniesdad]

Aye dream garage material alright.

BTW the McMerc was also carbon tubbed.

[JohnGoodridge]

Had much want for these, but the prices...

have transferred the want to the other great, and rarer, V10 experience - the Lexus LFA, like this one. A useful GT 911 or two cheaper as well.

[flatso]

The soundtrack alone is worth it.....was obliterated on the autobahn by one of these around 2007, the sound is imprinted on my brain to this day still. A work of art in every aspect!

[wab172uk]

I don't understand how the Enzo is worth 3 times the price of the Carrera GT?

Given the choice, I'd choose the GT every time.

[F1GTRUeno]

The sound, oh lord thank you for the sound.

They still look absolutely spot on 15 years later, especially in black.

I've never understood the clutch thing though, how is the operation of it different to a normal, everyday roadcar one?

[GingerPixel]

I was under the impression that the clutch was super heavy and harder to modulate.

They are such nice things, and have aged incredibly well IMO. Probably thanks to Porsche's iterative design language meaning that current 911s and such still don't look too far removed from this. I was at the NEC with my dad as a kid when they had the silver concept on a stand, and still have one of the free posters they gave out somewhere!

Edited by GingerPixel on Monday 21st May 13:11

[suffolk009]

Absolutely right - I'll have one of these in my Euromillions garage, along with the LFA mentioned above. Interestingly the only Ferrari I really want is an F40.

I'm not sure about the interior on this one though. I'd probably also get mine resprayed in Blood Orange or Voodoo Blue. Just because.

[Esceptico]

I was going to buy a high mileage CGT back in 2013. For what it was the price was very low. Had arranged for seller to take the car to Reading for an inspection and had an insurance quote sorted. Yet in the week before the inspection I couldn’t figure out how I was going to use it and pulled out. I only had garage space for one toy and wasn’t sure that the CGT would get used enough. I bought an early 911 that was brilliant but probably missed out on a nice profit by not getting the CGT.

[isaldiri]

GingerPixel said:

I was under the impression that the clutch was super heavy and harder to modulate.

The clutch is indeed super heavy and completely out of sync with the rest of the control weights (I don't agree at all with the article about spot on weights). The only real difference to the clutch is just reminding oneself to stay off the gas when getting the car moving from stationary and trusting the autothrottle. In all other respects the clutch is used normally just as one would any other, albeit one with a very very light flywheel that drops revs seriously quickly.

And that price is loopy I might add.

Edited by isaldiri on Monday 21st May 13:23

[simonrockman]

GingerPixel said:

I was under the impression that the clutch was super heavy and harder to modulate.

Not heavy, but yes, amazingly hard to modulate. Maneuvering in a car park with the on/off clutch, hard to see extremities and poor lock is the stuff of nightmares.

I drove one 800 miles but never managed to feel comfortable with it. Most of the time I was too scared I'd damage it.

[Krikkit]

simonrockman said:

GingerPixel said:

I was under the impression that the clutch was super heavy and harder to modulate.

Not heavy, but yes, amazingly hard to modulate. Maneuvering in a car park with the on/off clutch, hard to see extremities and poor lock is the stuff of nightmares.

I drove one 800 miles but never managed to feel comfortable with it. Most of the time I was too scared I'd damage it.

From reading the postings of a couple of PH'ers who own them the key is using 2nd and letting the anti-stall meter the throttle for you. Still sounds very tricky and possibly terrifying if you get stuck in the wrong spot mind. Definitely not a car to crawl through London in, more suited to blasting through the Alps!

Absolute dream car for me, I'd have one in a flash in the fantasy garage.

[Ferosferio]

Dream car material. More desirable now than most/all of the cars it was competing against, certainly in the looks department anyway in my opinion. Feels ridiculous saying this but it seems like an utter steal when you consider the cost of its peers of the same era. An all time great surely.

[993rsr]

simonrockman said:

Not heavy, but yes, amazingly hard to modulate. Maneuvering in a car park with the on/off clutch, hard to see extremities and poor lock is the stuff of nightmares.

I drove one 800 miles but never managed to feel comfortable with it. Most of the time I was too scared I'd damage it.

It does take time to get comfortable with the clutch. Using the anti-stall is key, also I found having my heel on the floor allows more control of the clutch pedal movement rather than having your heel in ‘fresh air’. It took me a good few 1000 miles to get used to it. Personally I don’t find it overly stiff and not a problem once you have had some decent seat time. I’ve driven over 30k Miles in mine now. I think the fact the car requires a lot of time and effort to master just driving it let alone exploring the limits of its handling on the road or track means very few have high mileage and often have very many owners. However for those that stick with it, there is not a more exhilarating driving experience IMO.

[Davey S2]

I remember when these were around the £300 - £350K mark. I still think they have a way to go even at current prices and I'd but one like a shot if I had the cash.

[Loyly]

An absolutely astounding car and for my taste, head and shoulders above it's contemporaries in terms of desirability and design. In fact, it's one of favourite Porsches of all time, perhaps with only the GT1 Straßenversion coming ahead of it.

[JohnGoodridge]

Actually re: the prices, there are a number of CGT for sale in Germany, at est. GBP 470k - 520k.

Higher mileages, and even the UK reg'd cars are LHD, so may be reasonable value if you actually want to drive it.

Mobile.de is the site.

[Rawwr]

The thing that baffles me is that this is probably the only Porsche with 'GT' in its name that hasn't seen a rocket-like rise in price, relative to its technically lesser brethren.

[jcl]

Awesome but ugly, especially from the rear. If only it looked like the 918.