Here is the story on the Middle East car I was referring to, straight from a Porsche press release dated December 28th, 2005. It was actually #1,111, not the last console number as I had thought: Carrera GT number 1,111 delivered to Middle East customer Stuttgart. One Porsche customer in the United Arab Emirates has received a special Christmas present this year: Stuttgart-based Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG has delivered to the customer a Carrera GT bearing the number 1,111. With this milestone, the 612 hp, 330 km/h Carrera GT is now the most successful high-performance sports car of all time. The last unit of this exceptional vehicle will leave the Leipzig plant in April 2006. According to Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, Chief Executive of the Stuttgart car maker: “The Carrera GT has once again strengthened the Porsche brand image as a sports car manufacturer and demonstrated that our product strategy has really hit the mark. What’s more, Porsche has made money with the Carrera GT. In this respect, this sports car has also been an economic success for our company, as expected.” Since the vehicle was first presented on September 28, 2000 in the Louvre, Paris, the Carrera GT has set the pace in this segment. “It is still in the top position to this day. The Carrera GT has thus earned a special place in Porsche’s 57-year history of success,” adds Wiedeking. The most important market for the Carrera GT remains North America, where around half of the vehicles have been sold. Significant numbers have also been sold in the traditional Porsche markets of Germany, the UK, Italy and the Middle East. As well as selling in large quantities, this born-to-race Porsche has also been heavily garlanded since its market launch in September 2003. The most well known awards include the Goldene Lenkrad (“Golden Steering Wheel”, Bild am Sonntag, 2005), the Auto Trophy (Auto Zeitung, 2004 and 2005), and Best Auto (Auto Motor und Sport, 2004). It has also received top international accolades from Auto Car (UK, 2004), Top Gear (UK, 2004) and Road & Track (USA, 2004). Up to December 2005, the Carrera GT had been the subject of some 3,500 articles adorning the front pages of German and respected international specialist magazines over 100 times.
Another cool press release from September 20th, 2004. The Carrera GT's Nürburgring lap record. Back then, Porsche referenced Sport Auto magazine for their times! Shame they forgot to put the wing up when they took the promo photos. Carrera GT fastest car on Nürburgring Stuttgart. The Carrera GT is the fastest car to lap the Nürburgring North Circuit. With the clock showing 7’32.44 minutes, Horst von Saurma, Chief Editor of the German specialist magazine “sport auto,” achieved a new record for road-approved vehicles, at the wheel of the 612 HP strong Porsche. He completed the 22.6 km long round in the Eifel at an average speed of 164 km/h. "It was really touch and go. The circuit was dirty in some sectors, which didn’t make it any easier,” beamed Horst von Saurma with glee, after his record round. For ten years the magazine has been awarding an (unofficial) challenge cup to the driver who drives the fastest round on the Nürburgring using a road-approved car. Thus the race for the best time round the circuit has become a prestigious affair, as Nürburgring is still the best and most honest test of the quality of a vehicle chassis, motor performance, aerodynamics and naturally of tires. Since 1995, times have gradually improved from 7’52 minutes to the current 7’32.44 minutes. Wolfgang Dürheimer, Member of Porsche’s Management Board responsible for Research and Development: “The time achieved by Horst von Saurma is excellent and demonstrates the potential of our car. Until recently such times could exclusively be clocked up with pure racing prototypes.” The journalist von Saurma clocked up the fastest round in the context of a so-called “super test,” which the magazine executes regularly. Top times on the Nürburgring, always driven by the same tester, are among the criteria. Wolfgang Dürheimer: “It is precisely for this reason that the 7’32.44 minutes are so easy for us to put in to context and are thus valuable.” Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
One more cool image. It's amazing how organic and flowing this carbon fiber chassis looked back in 2004, specifically the engine cradle portion. It's no wonder that one of the most famous pioneers of carbon fiber in road cars, Horacio Pagani, was completely enamored with the Carrera GT when he saw what Porsche engineers had achieved with the chassis upon the car's release. Nobody had done it quite like this. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Speaking of Mr. Horacio Pagani, it should be noted that he put his money where his mouth is, and became a happy Carrera GT owner. His car appears to be Seal Grey Metallic over Terracotta, a beautiful combo. The car has specially fitted Ohlins suspension, and is regularly loaned out to friends & family for trans-European drives. It should be noted he also has a 918 Spyder (seen in the background of the last photo), Cayman GT4, & 911 R, amongst a collection of other non-Pagani supercars. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Interesting materials graphic. Did you know the center console & door handles were magnesium? Image Unavailable, Please Login
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Duel on the Nordschleife Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
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Some top speed & lateral G data from Sport Auto's 2004 7:32 Nurburgring lap record below. Their overall driving impressions on the car, translated from German: The often asked question after the test: How does the Porsche Carrera GT drive, and how does it feel? Here is a simple attribute collection instead of big explanations: Genial. Stunning. Breathtaking. Respectful. Scary. Wild. Heart softening. Fast. Fantastic. Hot. Intoxicating. Overwhelming. Original. Treatable. Revealing. Bewitching - and expensive. The Porsche Carrera GT expands the horizon. He reveals the technically feasible. He shows what is possible in terms of driving dynamics. And it is a statement from Porsche at the right time: the answer to the question of how sports cars are built. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Some underside photos of the car. Very impressive. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login 2 of 2 CGTs painted in PTS (Gulf Blue) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login (Pics aren't mine)
Sean at Top Gear owned or owns both the former Valentine CGT in Signal Yellow and the Gulf Blue car. He’s had quite a stable of them.
Still seeking privately-owned Carrera GTs for multiple cash-buyer, private party clients. [email protected]
