Why the Carrera GT is one of my all-time favorite cars...
Throughout the years there have been hundreds of awesome cars by some of the best brands, including but not limited to, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren, Jaguar, Chevrolet, and Ford. Yes, I am a huge Porsche fan for several different reasons (performance, reliability, price, etc..); however, when I think of the best of the best, there are a few great cars come to mind (Senna, P1, LaFerrari, Ford GT, 458, Corvette, etc...). Honestly, that list could go on for days and to narrow down that list to just a handful of cars would be subjective based on the person writing the article. I would be willing to bet that if you were to ask 100 random car enthusiast to list their top 10 cars by any manufacture, not one list would be the same. On that note, I am not going to write about my top 10 cars but I am going to write about the Carrera GT (CGT). Let's begin with the specs and a few things that make this car great (note: these specs were based on the new model in 2005): Seating2Fuel economy Up to 10/16 mpg (city/highway)
Engine 5.7 L 605 HP V 10
Power . 605 hp
0 - 60 time . 3.8 seconds
Top Speed; 205 mph Fifteen years ago, this was one of the fastest production cars on the market with a top speed of 205 mph that would still compete with most high-end sports cars today. What makes this car great? Let's begin with it's history. The CGT was first introduced in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show and was originally intended to be a Le Mans race car. From the moment most people saw the car it was a huge hit. For me, the CGT is a piece of art on wheels. The aerodynamic design that is part of its downforce kit, includes ground effects that give the driver complete control even at high speeds. As with most Porsche's, the rear wing is activated at 75 miles per hour and can be manually deployed as well. The concept car, at that time, had only 558 HP, versus the 605 HP that was actually produced. The CGT was produced 2004-2007:
Porsche included its motorsports heritage in the design package of the CGT. If you look at the wheels above, they have colored center-locks (blue for right wheels and red for left wheels). Also, similar to most "RS" Porsches, the CGT goes with the less is more theory in the cockpit. More importantly, all CGTs are true manual transmissions without stability control. Yes, this car was produced before the federal government mandated that all cars have stability control. And the clutch is well-known as being a true driver's clutch. I have never driven a CGT so I cannot speak on what it is like to drive but I hope to drive one someday in the near future. If I ever do, I will write a follow-up article to this one.
The CGT is equipped with a carbon-fiber tub and subframe. Its also one of the first Porsche models to be equipped with carbon-ceramic brakes. I believe the 2001 GT2 was the first Porsche car actually to be equipped with carbon ceramic brakes.
One could debate that the CGT is on the same level as the Ferrari F40, Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, Mclaren F1, Lamborghini Miura, and Jaguar XJ220. Why do I think that? I don't think any car will ever be made like the CGT again. Why? There are so many lawsuits because of this car that automakers would never dream of producing anything like this again (not to mention, Paul Walker's death, may he rest in peace). The CGT is the last analog supercar or its time.
Most people rant and rave about the CGT amazing exhaust sound. If you have ever been around one once it revs, it is almost an indistinguishable noise. The sound it makes is like a symphony to the ears of any car enthusiasts - that V10 pumping out that glorious note that would turn the head of anyone that heard it. Unlike the 911, which is pretty subdued when it comes to the exhaust sound, the CGT cranks the volume all the way up and let's that V10 be heard. Personally, I think its the best sounding supercar I've ever heard.
These are the reasons why the CGT would be in my top 3 supercars, if not number 1. I honestly cannot think of a car that I would list above it. As I mentioned before, this is very subjective and I am sort of biased since I love Porsches but even the few people that I know that despise Porsches for the most part still love this car.
NOTE: All of these photos were taken by me and my Iphone 11 at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. A friend of mine owns this car, and I use the term friend loosely because we have only met once, but we connect on social media quite a bit. His Instagram username is: @trsmatt
Please tell me what you think of the CGT and where would you rank it in your top 20 cars, or would you rank it all?
See more pics/specs on my forum page: https://www.por4mance.com/forum/welcome-to-por4mance/why-the-carrera-gt-is-one-of-my-all-time-favorite-cars
