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white devil
05-10-2006, 06:24 AM
The Most Successful Supercar in History
An offshoot of Porsche’s racing program and a technological tour de force, the 605-horsepower Carrera GT is a carbon-fibered symphony of speed.
The manufacture of the most successful supercar in history has come to an end. Production of the Carrera GT at Porsche’s facility in Leipzig, Germany, concluded on Saturday, May 6, 2006, bringing to a close the latest series in a line of ultra-exclusive and ultra-performing automobiles from Porsche.

In its brief production run, and befitting its ethereal performance, the award-winning Carrera GT was named “Best Dream Car 2004” by Road & Track magazine, and “Best Dream Machine” by the popular MotorWeek television program in 2005. “Even a short ride in this carbon-fiber wonder-car will spoil you for the rest of your life,” said MotorWeek host John Davis. “The Carrera GT is the best motivation to get rich that we’ve ever driven.”
Even in an economic climate that did not favor products in this segment of the market, Porsche’s V-10 powered supercar has sold in unprecedented numbers. More than 1,270 Carrera GTs have been sold since its introduction in late 2003. To date, 604 have found homes in North America. This figure represents a greater number than the total production of the McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo, and Pagani Zonda models combined.

The Carrera GT is a storied member in a line of limited edition supercars, a lineage born from Porsche’s experience at the highest levels of world-class endurance racing. The Carrera GT owes its product modeling as an exclusive, racing-derived, ultra-high-performance roadcar to Porsche’s first supercar, the 959. Storming the world automotive stage at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1985, the 959 was intended for “Group B” racing competition, and served as Porsche’s technology flagship—a rolling paradigm of automotive performance from which future models could draw even loftier benchmarks.

The Carrera GT supercar also had its genesis in the racing program, but instead became a street-only machine. The Carrera GT evolved from a 5.5-liter V-10 engine program originally developed for endurance competition. Enlarged to 5.7-liters for the production car, the naturally aspirated Carrera GT’s V-10 produces 605 (SAE) horsepower at 8,000 rpm, and this power is routed through a production car first—Porsche’s Ceramic Composite Clutch (PCCC®). Only 6.65 inches (169mm) in diameter, the race-caliber clutch easily handles the Carrera GT’s prodigious output while allowing the entire powertrain to sit lower in the chassis, dropping the center of gravity for even sharper handling.

The Carrera GT’s wide use of cutting edge materials prompted Popular Science magazine in 2003 to name the exotic machine the “Best of What’s New” for its advanced technology and chassis development. The Carrera GT’s monocoque chassis is constructed from bonded layers of carbon fiber tissue, resin, and aluminum and plastic honeycomb materials that are incredibly light, but strong. The entire chassis weighs just over 220 pounds (100 kg), and is mated to equally esoteric materials including forged magnesium wheels, and the staggering 380mm Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB®).

Thanks to near fanatical attention to weight savings, the performance results are stunning. The Carrera GT will accelerate from a standing start to 62 mph (100 km/h) in only 3.9 seconds, at which point, things really get going. The 99 mph (160 km/h) mark arrives in less than seven seconds, 124 mph (200 km/h) in under 10 seconds, and the Carrera GT can achieve a top test-track speed of 205 mph (330 km/h). Despite the otherworldly performance, the Carrera GT is still one of few supercars that can be driven every day. Traction control, air conditioning, GPS navigation, a Bose audio system, and a fitted, 5-piece, matched-leather luggage set are standard equipment.

The Porsche Carrera GT first went on sale in North America on January 31, 2004, and pricing for this ultimate Porsche supercar is $440,000 (USD).



the info was taken from www.germancarfans.com

i never thought that the carrera GT was that succeful:eek:
im not a big carrera gt fan but wouldnt mind getting one after what i read:rolleyes:

white devil
05-10-2006, 06:27 AM
some nice pic

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 06:36 AM
Usual "rewriting of history" in claimg "most successful".

They had originally PLANNED to buidl 1500, so claiming they built more than others who set out to build less is a bit silly.
Especially given that they in fact didn't product to their own target :D

How much profit did it make ?
How much investment did it take and hwo much of that was "written off" after hte first attempt to "launch" ?

Yeah ... sounds like fanbosy makign up claims :D Just liek VW America and that stupid three wheeler :D

McReis
05-10-2006, 07:28 AM
Just when I was about to order mine...

Ferrer
05-10-2006, 08:30 AM
Just when I was about to order mine...
Oh what a shame... I suddenly feel very sorry for you...:D

McReis
05-10-2006, 08:32 AM
Oh what a shame... I suddenly feel very sorry for you...:D

You should! :D

VtecMini
05-10-2006, 08:33 AM
Just when I was about to order mine...Ahh... I was thinking of selling mine, but it'll start appreciating now, so I don't suppose I can! :)

carbrochuretom
05-10-2006, 09:06 AM
I got an email from porsche today asking if I wanted to buy one of the last Carrera GTs - it read:

"thought you maybe interested to learn that the Carrera GT below is available for purchase with immediate delivery. This is brand new and currently un-registered so you would be the first owner on the log book - the specification is as follows:-

GT Silver Metallic
Ascot Brown/Black Full Leather
Car Cover
Climate Control
Luggage Set Ascot Brown
CD-Radio incl.Bose Hifi

The cost of this car is circa £330.000 - if this is of interest to you then please do let me know and I can get more information from Porsche for you."

Im flattered to think they'd ask me but for starters Im only 18, i have £600 in the bank and I contacted Porsche in the first place because I wanted some info for some business studies coursework for my A-Levels...so I think they may have confused me with someone else!:D

If anyone actually wants to buy it, let me know I will forward you the email address for you to enquire:)

McReis
05-10-2006, 09:10 AM
haha!!! Nice stuff! Seems like they are a bit desperate.
Offer what you have. Maybe they bite. :D

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 09:28 AM
You want to show some interest -- you might blag yourself one of the last brochures :D

PerfAdv
05-10-2006, 09:30 AM
Seems like a waste with all the tooling and special parts that are specific to a car like the CGT to just have such a short production run. I never understood why manufacturers don't keep such models as part of their lineups, if not regular production cars then as made to order special ones.

CGT, Enzo and even the Ford GT are the best of what the maker can do, yet only a handful are made...

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 09:36 AM
Seems like a waste with all the tooling and special parts that are specific to a car like the CGT to just have such a short production run. I never understood why manufacturers don't keep such models as part of their lineups, if not regular production cars then as made to order special ones.

CGT, Enzo and even the Ford GT are the best of what the maker can do, yet only a handful are made...
Exclusivity is important to the buyer. He's not going to want to spend £100Ks and find them on every street corner :D
It also ensures that they dont' get a reputation for not selling !!!
Improves second hand sales value -- again important to someone who buys and sells supercars.
Also, they can predict when it will fail future regulations coming in -- which is the case with the CGT finishing early. It wont' pass some US reg next year IIIRC.

lightweight
05-10-2006, 09:37 AM
Seems like a waste with all the tooling and special parts that are specific to a car like the CGT to just have such a short production run. I never understood why manufacturers don't keep such models as part of their lineups, if not regular production cars then as made to order special ones.

CGT, Enzo and even the Ford GT are the best of what the maker can do, yet only a handful are made...

They can use some of the infrastructure created for future über-models. But anyway, these cars are brand-building exercises in most cases, taking advantage of the Halo-effect. Longer production runs will devalue the purpose for which they were built in the first place

PerfAdv
05-10-2006, 09:42 AM
Exclusivity is important to the buyer. He's not going to want to spend £100Ks and find them on every street corner :D
It also ensures that they dont' get a reputation for not selling !!!
Improves second hand sales value -- again important to someone who buys and sells supercars.
Also, they can predict when it will fail future regulations coming in -- which is the case with the CGT finishing early. It wont' pass some US reg next year IIIRC.
It's true what you say about exclusivity and helping supercar brokers along with a very finite commodity. But as far as meeting regs couldn't a mostly hand assembled model accommodate such changes? The NSX was not anywhere near as exotic but it survived a 15+ year run.

PerfAdv
05-10-2006, 09:45 AM
They can use some of the infrastructure created for future über-models. But anyway, these cars are brand-building exercises in most cases, taking advantage of the Halo-effect. Longer production runs will devalue the purpose for which they were built in the first place
I like that term, Halo-effect. :D

I hope there are future Porsches of this ilk. I mean the 911 can just be modified so much. The CGT did raise Porsche to another level, one of supercar builder.

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 09:47 AM
It's true what you say about exclusivity and helping supercar brokers along with a very finite commodity. But as far as meeting regs couldn't a mostly hand assembled model accommodate such changes? The NSX was not anywhere near as exotic but it survived a 15+ year run.
did a wee rumage ....

"Porsche announced that this discontinuation due to changing airbag regulations in the US, but reports of diminishing sales volumes, relatively high dealer inventory levels, and dealer discounts below MSRP were reported by the automotive press as being the true driving factors"

So the "regs" angle might have been hiding a truth :D
As it's a c/f monocoque then even something as simple as moving the steering wheel to accomodate a new airbag system could requre the front tub to be redeisigned and as it's a monocoque then they would have to submit the car to ALL the crash damage tests all over again -- ouch !!!

carbrochuretom
05-10-2006, 09:51 AM
You want to show some interest -- you might blag yourself one of the last brochures :D
Yeh I have tried that already...no luck

PerfAdv
05-10-2006, 10:02 AM
did a wee rumage ....

"Porsche announced that this discontinuation due to changing airbag regulations in the US, but reports of diminishing sales volumes, relatively high dealer inventory levels, and dealer discounts below MSRP were reported by the automotive press as being the true driving factors"

So the "regs" angle might have been hiding a truth :D...

So the bottom line is that supercar circles are just as tough to break into as the luxury segment was for the Japanese when they started with Acura, etc.

Porsche CGT just didn't get grabbed up like the Enzo or other limited productions from Maranello. I guess that makes sense since Porsche has always been the affordable alternative in high-end sports cars, so their supercar might have been priced a little rich as good as it is.:D

I think the next supercar from Porsche will be better accepted, as they would've already done it once before.

LotusLocost
05-10-2006, 10:18 AM
I din't know that ceramic clutch was that small:eek:
Only 6,25" inches (probably several plates though)... I use 7,25" singelplate lug on the locost...:rolleyes:
That is a bit stunning... anyone got some pictures or info on how it's build up?
Maybe I should call liepzig factory and hear if they got some spare now that they build 250 less CGT's:D :rolleyes:

lightweight
05-10-2006, 10:52 AM
Porsche CGT just didn't get grabbed up like the Enzo or other limited productions from Maranello. I guess that makes sense since Porsche has always been the affordable alternative in high-end sports cars, so their supercar might have been priced a little rich as good as it is.:D

I think the next supercar from Porsche will be better accepted, as they would've already done it once before.

I don't think that it didn't get grabbed up. It sold almost triple as much compared to the Enzo.

But, anyway, sales are not the issue here. The fact that everyone is talking about Ferrari and Porsche when they are referring to supercars is what manufacturers care about most.

carbrochuretom
05-10-2006, 10:54 AM
I din't know that ceramic clutch was that small:eek:
Only 6,25" inches (probably several plates though)... I use 7,25" singelplate lug on the locost...:rolleyes:
That is a bit stunning... anyone got some pictures or info on how it's build up?
Maybe I should call liepzig factory and hear if they got some spare now that they build 250 less CGT's:D :rolleyes:
Well here is Mr Leno with a ceramic brake from da CGT next to a conventional unit:D

PerfAdv
05-10-2006, 10:57 AM
^^ I know you meant clutch. The PCCC not PCCB, gotta love Porsche acronyms. :D

LotusLocost
05-10-2006, 11:06 AM
Well here is Mr Leno with a ceramic brake from da CGT next to a conventional unit:D

Thanks mate:)
yeah.. and I know you ment clutch;)

carbrochuretom
05-10-2006, 11:43 AM
ma bad lol

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 12:27 PM
I don't think that it didn't get grabbed up. It sold almost triple as much compared to the Enzo.
See post #3.

Porsche PLANNED to make 1500, Ferrari PLANNED to sell 399.

You can't go claiming better "success" because it then sold more or the VW Beetle is the best ever :D

How quickly they sold out respectively might give an indication on the market forces at play and post #16 gave an insight into that.

PS: It's STILL a great car tho' :D

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 12:29 PM
It's funny how everyone raves about the clutch. Bikes have been usign multi=plate clutches for decades to keep the size down whilst still having the equivalent surface to work.
Kind of cars finally catching up to what bikes have down to a fine art :D
Now the material is nice :)

Rockefella
05-10-2006, 12:31 PM
Porsche PLANNED to make 1500, Ferrari PLANNED to make 350.
Correction, Ferrari planned to make 399. ;)

Matra et Alpine
05-10-2006, 12:35 PM
Correction, Ferrari planned to make 399. ;)
yeah I was thinkig 349 to sell (plus one).
399 it is ( I've gone back and edited it so we dont' get a hundred peopel correcting it :D )

coolieman1220
05-10-2006, 02:44 PM
i love this car

Cyco
05-10-2006, 04:23 PM
The lack of inertia in that clutch must be amazing - for a carbon/ceramic clutch of equilant size to a sintered one the drop of inertia is about 90%

DesmoRob
05-10-2006, 08:26 PM
Seems like a waste with all the tooling and special parts that are specific to a car like the CGT to just have such a short production run. I never understood why manufacturers don't keep such models as part of their lineups, if not regular production cars then as made to order special ones.

CGT, Enzo and even the Ford GT are the best of what the maker can do, yet only a handful are made...

I'm pretty sure it's just to put something out there every once in a while thats extremely special and will hold a significant place in the manufaturer's history. Something that is not mainstream and something that few people will have the priviledge of owning. A car that will blow other mainstream sports cars out of the water for years to come. Think 959, few sports cars can match its performance, and that thing is 19 years old.

Revolution
05-11-2006, 05:36 AM
Mmm, yeah, I recently read an article comparing the Veyron to the 959, as they are both the technological tour de force of their seperate times, and also both very significant. Quite an interesting read :)

Sledgehammer
11-29-2006, 01:52 PM
I loved that car, all the more exciting to see what Porsche is going to spit out next