The Porsche Carrera GT just turned 20 – here’s what makes it one of our favorites

It was at the 2000 Paris Motor Show that Porsche surprised the automotive world with the unveiling of a V-10-powered supercar concept called the Carrera GT.

The concept was never intended for production but Porsche already had a V-10 engine on hand due to an aborted Le Mans program, and was soon filled with cash since the Cayenne launched in 2002. The fire green was given and the first examples started to roll off the line at the new factory in Leipzig, Germany, in 2003.

Production would last four years, during which time Porsche managed to build 1,270 units. That’s an impressive number for the time, as it was long before the days of social media when showing a supercar was the thing of the day.

Additionally, the Carrera GT has a reputation for being a bit of a tricky car, mainly due to its transmission, a 6-speed manual that was the first production example in the world to feature a double-disc dry clutch in ceramic, just like the design. used in racing. While the design makes the clutch extremely durable, its stallless operation requires a level of sensitivity that must be mastered.

Pass that point and the driver is treated to one of the best engines ever fitted to a production car. The V-10 was originally developed in the early 1990s for Formula 1, and when this did not happen the engine was developed for a Le Mans program. Eventually it would end up in a road car, where it moved 5.7 liters and produced 603 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque.

With the Carrera GT weighing just 3,042 pounds thanks to its lightweight carbon fiber monocoque and a host of other weight-saving mods, the V-10 was able to propel the car from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds – still an incredible number for a naturally aspirated car with a manual transmission. Reaching 124 mph would take 9.9 seconds and things would end up going over 205 mph.

And then there are the Kevlar seats, carbon-ceramic brake discs, pushrod suspension, and color-coded center-locking wheels that remind you that the Carrera GT is a race car to begin with. , although it is legal on the road. And that is precisely what makes this fascinating Porsche incomparable.

If you can afford one today, buy one and get rewarded.