CGT: A Day in the Life of..............

When people describe a car as “Pure Sex,” or “sex on wheels,” they must be speaking of the Porsche Carrera GT. The CGT stirs all the juices into a whirlwind of fiery, raw stimulation. A little background, I get my pleasure out of daily driving an S260, and weekend driving a 16M. But I wanted to see if there was a pinnacle of excitement in piloting another 4 wheel visceral machine. Some say the CGT is one of the last 3 pedal supercars to be made with the purpose of being a race car with maximum experience for the driver. I had to have one. I had the good fortune of buying the car from a fellow competitor in LotusCupUSA. It’s amazing what camaraderie you build with fellow racers.
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AESTHETICS: When you look at the car you can see how sleek the “silver bullet” is. The timeless curves of this automotive machinery are ethereal. The first thing you will notice is that the car is very Low and Wide - not menacing, but its stance is ready to roar. Everything externally is so well-proportioned, and all the lines flow well into one another. There are no sharp edges like a lambo or even Ferrari. The beautiful curves of the roofline, the inlets of the doors, ducts in the bonnet, and CF undertray all work harmoniously with purpose to achieve aerordynamics for maximum negative lift. Even the Vee shaped double footing of the mirror is inspired by aircraft aerodynamics. From the rear, you appreciate the rear fender spoiler extensions that are contiguous with the rear active wing in seated position. It does not have the Italian flare of the 16M, but it has a smooth aggressiveness to its poise. This can be manifest in the two rear humps of the rear engine deck-lid.
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INTERIOR: Spartan. Upon opening the heavy solid door, there is Carbon Fiber everywhere - the dash, the doors, the door sills, the race bucket seats, even the floor of the pedals. The carbon fiber monocoque is evident in the cockpit which was designed by the same company as the Enzo’s, not only lightweight, but creating maximum tosional stiffness. Sliding into the race seats is a bit challenging - akin to the Lotus. You notice the race seats put you in a “vertical” position - you can’t recline or relax - you are in a “ready to race” position. The one thing about the seats are they are not the most comfortable. But once in the cockpit, everything feels snug - not cramped like the Lotus, but not as roomy as the 16M. However, everything you need is right at your fingertips. The beech wood shifter knob (paying homage to the 917) is set high on the center console but ergonomically feels to be in perfect position for economy of movement - another idea grasped from aircrafts. AC, radio? - it’s there but I didn’t even bother yet.
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ENGINE: Pure racing tehnology. As I spark up the engine, there is a purr and slight chatter - that is of the super light ceramic composite clutch plate - the world’s first carbon ceramic composite clutch measuring only 169 mm, thus allowing for light weight and low position/center of gravity. Everything sounds very mechanical. At idle, the engine sounds quite civil, but rev’d to high RPM the normally aspirated V10, we all know, screams like a jet engine. The mid-engine is positioned very low, thus giving the car a low center of gravity.
The V10 prototype was originally designed for the LMP2000 to race in the Le Mans Prototype class. But the program was scrapped due to the financial development of the Cayenne, or some say because Audi did not want Porsche to compete with them in the Le Mans.
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DRIVE: So my first real drive happened to be on the morning of Thanksgiving. I had to see a patient in the hospital - a little rough in stop and go traffic. The race clutch is noticeably stiff and firm. It takes some faith to release the clutch completely, BEFORE adding throttle - as the ECU is designed this way. Brakes are also quite firm but progressive, the harder you press, the more the bite.

After rounds, I’m off to GMR - one of the great canyon roads to test any car. As I climb the hill, the power/torque is very linear - good torque at both the bottom and top end. Entering the twisties, here is where the car shines with sheer brilliance. There is no oversteer, or understeer. The car is just planted around turns, it so so well balnced. It is not as light and tossable as the Lotus, but it has No body roll, which I feel a little in the 16M. The Carbon Fiber monocoque attributes to the stiffness of the chassis, and allows for the steering to be extremely direct. The car simply goes exactly where you want it to.
Cruising down the hill at the end of the run, my hands are sweaty and my adrenaline is pumping. I am in awe.
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My wife calls me on the way back and asks me to get celery for stuffing and lunch for the kids. So after the grocery, I drive through the McDonald’s drive-thru. The young gal that takes my money says surprisingly, “We’ve never had one of these drive through here before. It’s beauuttiffullllll!”

Back to the sex theme....you know in high school when you dated that “easy” girl, and then you got bored of her really quickly. Well, the CGT is NOT that girl. You have to work at it and stay focused. You have to watch every move. You have to earn respect. But when you reach that orgasmic driving state, you are overcome with sheer passion and joy. The CGT is driving Nirvana.
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Geno, great to hear from another CGT owner, would love to hear any words of wisdom. Love the Guards Red - tried to find one in that color but they are very hard to find.

Thanks all for the feedback.

I will continue to update my thoughts as I break the car in. I'm still blown away by the CGT and the build quality and performance.
Of course I'm in the honeymoon phase .

 

awww yes....symphony of sound:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoR5ROGQ-dM&feature=share&list=UUzbf53ylBw6W1Bl3xvkII-A]Porsche Carrera GT exhaust revving - YouTube[/ame]

 

compare....
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM7CwJXIQtE&feature=share&list=UUzbf53ylBw6W1Bl3xvkII-A&index=2]S line Exhaust on Ferrari 16M Scuderia - YouTube[/ame]