The Porsche Carrera GT already proclaims its outstanding performance through the design language. But in contrast to its concept showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000 and conceived only for racing, the Porsche Carrera GT (980) is a production car, and it is also the most beautiful Porsche car on the road.

The Porsche Carrera GT (980) is a two-seater targa supercar with rear-wheel drive and a mid-engine arrangement. Overall dimensions of the Porsche Carrera GT, mm .: length – 4 623, width – 1 930, height – 1 168, wheelbase – 2 730.

Porsche Carrera GT engine

Porsche catalog

Its V10 engine was developed back in 1992 for the F1 McLaren team, but due to financial difficulties the project was canceled. After some time, the engine was redesigned to comply with the 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations, but again they did not finish the job.

As a result, it found its permanent place behind the Carrera GT cockpit. This is exactly the case when a new car was built for the engine. Porsche engineers have increased the original engine displacement from 5.5 liters. up to 5.7 liters, which made it possible to achieve a power of 612 hp, and the peak torque is 590 Nm at 5,750 rpm.

For the Porsche Carrera GT, a compact and lightweight manual six-speed transmission has been developed to handle this enormous amount of torque. The Porsche Carrera GT has a top speed of 330 km / h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in just 3.9 seconds.

At low speeds, the Carrera GT is suitable for everyday driving, despite the explosive nature of its ten-cylinder power unit. In fact, it is a racing car redesigned into a “civilian” car.

In addition to the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) high performance ceramic composite brakes, the Porsche Carrera GT is equipped with the Porsche Ceramic Composite Clutch (PCCC), which has a longer service life than clutches made of classic materials and fully meets all motorsport requirements.

The Porsche Carrera GT is not only the world’s first car with a ceramic clutch, but also the first production car with a monocoque CFRP body structure. In this way, the vehicle’s outstanding performance was combined with its unparalleled safety. The body of the 980 is manufactured using a special patented technology. In total, 5 innovative solutions are applied in the Porsche Carrera GT.

Aerodynamics, chassis and electronic assistants of the Porsche Carrera GT

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Aerodynamics play an important role in reaching speeds of 330 km / h. In order to optimize downforce, the underbody geometry is exactly the same as that of a racing car, which is very unusual for a road car. On reaching 110 km / h, the rear spoiler automatically opens on the Porsche Carrera GT.

The suspension design has also been borrowed from motorsport to keep the car stable at all speeds. Instead of traditional MacPherson strut suspension, the Carrera GT uses a double wishbone, shock strut and telescopic shock absorber, while the rear has a push rod and double wishbone.

Its chassis, borrowed from the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1 winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been tested under the toughest conditions. Four-channel ABS, Traction Control System (TCS) and Automatic Stability Control (ASC) ensure a dynamic driving style even under difficult road conditions.

But this does not mean that you have to rely entirely on them in driving. The Porsche Carrera GT did not forgive mistakes in driving even such a titled driver as Mark Eberhard Edward – the prince, duke and earl in one person, who crashed a Porsche Carrera GT with tuning from the Gemballa studio worth over $ 1.5 million at the Paul-Ricard circuit. unable to cope with the temperament of the car.

Only true professionals can squeeze the maximum power out of the Carrera GT without getting into an accident. The factory test driver and rally champion Walter Röhrl, who covered the most difficult Nordschleife Nürburgring in 7 minutes 28 seconds, could only improve the result of the Pagani Zonda F hypercar in 2007, and then only for half a second. But comparing the Carrera GT is better with the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Porsche Carrera GT interior

The comfortable bucket seats are upholstered in leather and made of magnesium alloy and aramid (a material known as Kevlar), making them half the weight of regular seats. Bose sound system and bespoke navigation are standard equipment.

The Carrera GT is an open car, but that doesn’t mean bad weather will drive it into the garage. The roof folding system is very easy to use, so it can be quickly stowed in the luggage compartment located at the front.

The supercar was produced from January 31, 2004 to 2007 in Leipzig (Germany), but instead of the planned 1,500 models, only 1,270 were made, since new safety requirements in the United States would make the upgrade economically unprofitable. And the fewer existing copies on the market, the more the car is appreciated.

The price of the Porsche Carrera GT exceeded $ 700,000. But the story doesn’t end there, at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the German automaker unveiled the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, which will be the ideological successor to the Carrera GT model.

Porsche Carerra GT video