Goobye F430..hello CGT

Smart move . I love the CGT , however i would have gone for a red or yellow CGT.

 

430 Spider!

 

Does it matter?

Enjoy the cgt Leweyb. Just remember it can bite - but then they all can.

Ian

 

The other CGT, from Bentley.

 

That is what I thought.

No, it doesn't matter to me, just curious.

 

The Zonda, not yet US legal, is produced in even smaller quantities than the Enzo- 25 a year or so.

I plan to buy a CGT in the next year or so and my only concern is the ride height, as you mentioned.

Did you bottom out or scrape the front end often or only over very bumpy roads or high curbs? What about width as well? Does it make drive-thru windows impossible? LOL.

And while I have you, could you tell us about the handling and overall driving experience, the feel, the sounds etc, and how they compare to any other exotic you own or owned.


Many thanks,



Cavallini

 

I know a guy that is on Fchat that bought his CGT in the US for 360k...

 

You will scrape a lot. There is a scrape shield and no visible damage at all (even to the shield itself) when the shield is hit. The problem is with the low clearance, you need sometimes to enter driveways and bumps at near-parallel angles. In tight places, that means going back/forth to obtain the perfect angle. Are you going to do this for steep driveways and speed bumps ... or can you live with the scrape shield making a lot of noise all the time

Car turns sharply so width is not a consideration. In a Murcielago this is a problem because the murci is wide and the turning radius is poor. CGT turns easily.. so no issue at all.

The car is very nimble. It handles much better than a Ferrari 360 & 430 or a Gallardo/Murcielago. It is almost much more powerful.

The CGT is 600+ hp and a touch over 3,000 lbs. If you give it too much gas, you are going to spin the wheels. The CGT will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you give it an abrupt steering/throttle input and do not handle the consequence correctly, you will suffer.

The 360/430/G/M do not have this trait. With those cars, you do not lose traction and especially the G and M with the AWD, they are very resilient to almost any input. Downshift hard (at full throttle) with an abrupt steering input at the apex of a turn and the Murci will eat it up. The car loves it.

CGT is all about racing. From the very tight seats to the lack of an arm rest -- hands on steering wheel and shifter, thats it.

When you are on the throttle, the exhaust sounds like an F1 car. When you are cruising, it has this distinctive racing sound. Truly amazing.

Bottom line: if you have done or are doing the Ferrari and lambo thing and want to experience what a real race car is about, this is it. You wont get as many thumbs up as in a murcielago or gallardo, but the personal enjoyment of the vehicle is multiples that of anything else. The way I see it, if you want to experience the best of a modern day car, it is a CGT or Enzo. Anything else is not in the same league.

 

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I'm sold.

I've been reading reviews of this car in magazines for the last two years and your description told me more than all of them combined. LOL. Sad but true.


Many, many thanks, and many safe, exhilarating miles.


Cavallini

 

The CGT wont ellicit thumbs up like a lambo? Im surprised, I would think it would do just as well in popularity???

 

Nah. IMO, while the CGT just might be the better car, [Lets never bring up that I said that] I don't think enough mainstream folk know what it is. They can see the emblem and assume porsche, but if they needed that to tip them off they won't give the appropriate "CGT, hell yea". Lambos, well they look like lambos, and short of the gallardo, if you arent sure what you're seeing is a lambo, once the doors come up, the people will take notice and bow down accordingly.


We don't even address those wannabe scissor doors that open 45 degrees, wtf?!

 

Murcielago-

haha, maybe ur right, man ppl are dumb. So what about for a current AM that has a 12 degree hinge, what can i get for that?

 

I think the trade-off in bling factor is well worth it. The Lambo gets so much attention, all the time, from everybody, that it is disconcerting. Not so much for ego-sake, but for safety. People take crazy risks to get up close and then parallel you in traffic to take pics while they are driving- I know one Countach that was sitting at Wil De Groot's got smashed because someone stalking the car inadvertently swerved into it.
The Porsche will be recognizable to those who care about cars, for what that's worth.

 

Good to hear - now lets see some pics!

 

Yes, let's also hear some real feedback now that you can drive it!

 

Use it in good health - always!

What did you replace the wooden gearshift knob with?

 

Ken, my first CGT had the wooden shift knob which was done, I'm told, as an homage to the knob in the 962. I ordered the second one with a carbon fiber shift knob which I like a whole lot more.

 

it also matches the interior

 

Couldn't understand what Porsche was thinking with that knob - I thought it looked horrendous and was totally out of place with the rest of the car.

Thanks to your explanation I now understand it, but still think it's a huge design flaw on their part.

 

Is the CF knob an original Porsche part or an aftermarket piece?
I don't reallly mind the wooden one. It is smooth to the touch and fits my hand.
BTW I have been asked many times if I think the gearshift lever and knob are too high. They certainly look that way, but the ergonomics in this car are by far the best of any of my cars. Your right hand barely moves off the steering to make a gearchange and the importance of that becomes really apparent on the track where two hands on the wheel of such a powerful car is an absolute necessity.

 

Alex, the CF knob became an option in September '04 IIRC. In addition, I also ordered the thicker steering wheel. which also became an option at that time. My first was GT Silver; the new one is Black. Both had (have) the natural grey interior.

 

stop making me drool!! i'm in love with that car. You need to change your will to: "I hereby leave Noah my Black Porsche Carrera GT"