INSPECTION REPORT

Ten years after production of the Carrera GT ended, it is now a member of the Porsche Classic family. The appearance and lines of the Type 980, which was manufactured from 2003 onwards, reveal its motor sports inheritance. While its design indicates its stylistic links with standard production vehicles, it also takes some of its features from legendary Porsche racing cars.

In this exclusive production run of only 1270 cars, the Carrera GT was powered by a ten-cylinder engine with dry-sump lubrication. The capacity of the 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine, which was originally designed for use on the track, was increased to 5.7 litres for the standard production model.

With a power output of 450 kW/612 PS at 8000 rpm and a top speed of over 330 km/h, the Carrera GT set new standards. This power was transferred to the road by manual six-speed gearbox.

Headline: 1,900 Mile 2005 Carrera GT Finished in GT Silver with Ascot Brown Interior. Recent Major Service. 

The last ten years have brought tremendous automotive developments, in both conventional cars and performance cars. Manual transmissions and naturally aspirated engines have become increasingly rare, while hybridization and automation become the norm. Consequently, cars from just 10 or 15 years ago offer a significantly different experience from today’s cars, something which enthusiasts are now very much keyed into. 

The Carrera GT is quickly emerging as one of the pinnacle automobiles from this less digitalized era, a noteworthy characteristic given its heritage. The closest commercial predecessor to the Carrera GT is the 959. Both are technically sophisticated, costly, limited production halo cars, but they are remarkably divergent philosophically. While the 959 is an exercise in the most cutting edge technology available when it debuted (specifically computer controlled AWD and twin-turbochargers), the Carrera GT is a love letter to the naturally aspirated exotic, eschewing a paddle shifted gearbox and turbos for manually shifted 6-speed and an 8,400 RPM V10 developed from Porsche’s stillborn 3.5 liter Formula 1 V10.

The resulting car is an absolute sensation to drive. With over 600 HP in its carbon chassis and an absolutely bonkers soundtrack, the Carrera GT is an experience in a way that already feels worlds away from today’s exotics, which is doubtless contributing to the explosive rise in their values. There is an engaging, involving character to the car which demands the driver’s participation and rewards thoughtful, skilled operation and makes this one of the greatest Porsche road cars of all time.

This particular car is finished in GT Silver with Ascot Brown interior and was sold new on 22 April 2005. It has covered 1,935 miles from new and received a major service in February 2021. The car comes with a Porsche car cover, books, and a build spec sheet.