Porsche Celebrates 20 Years of the Carrera GT

Looking Back

Of all of the iconic models Porsche has built over the last 70+ years, the Carrera GT stands near the top of the proverbial mountain. This beloved hypercar will always be celebrated for being one of the last pure sports cars in history, thanks to its lack of traction control and high-revving, naturally-aspirated, F1-inspired V10. So it's only fitting that Porsche recently took a look back at the Carrera GT for its 20th(!) anniversary.

Photos: Porsche

Total Spectacle

In September 2000, the Porsche Carrera GT was presented to the world as a concept car to the press in Paris. Walter Röhrl was behind the wheel of the new super sports car and navigated the V10 mid-engined machine around the Place Charles-de-Gaulle, better known as the Place de l’Étoile due to the fact that its cobblestones form a star shape, with the Arc de Triomphe rising majestically at its center. Eventually, the Carrera GT arrived at the Paris Motor Show, where it made a huge splash.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

Just an Idea

With the Carrera GT, Porsche defined a new status quo for sports cars, and redefined the limits of what was possible at the time. From then on, young children would hang posters of the concept on their bedroom walls, while their older counterparts would dream about it. The only downside of the car was that it didn’t yet exist. Porsche had to first finish developing the Carrera GT and then build it. Back in 2000, this sports car was nothing more than an audacious vision, developed from the modules of a new racing car that was actually meant to compete for victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

Backup Plan

Porsche wanted to recreate the Carrera GT concept's very first drive, but COVID-19 prevented it from happening. Deemed a high-risk region, the population of Paris was under stay-at-home orders at the time of their planned visit, so they decided to take the Porsche Carrera GT to the Pariser Platz in Berlin, in homage. There, at the Brandenburg Gate, it was once again drizzling rain, just as it was 20 years ago in Paris.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

Head Turner

As was the case two decades ago in Paris, the Carrera GT still makes bystanders' heads turn, and in this case, take pictures with their smartphones - a testament to the car's enduring style. The contours of the Carrera GT are the work of the team around the then Porsche chief designer Harm Lagaay; under his direction, they designed a piece of automotive art that even after 20 years has lost none of its appeal.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

Change of Plans

Interestingly, the Carrera GT project started as a pure racing car - the long-secret Porsche LMP2000. This LeMans prototype, never used in a race and called the 9R3 internally, was completed in 1998 and had a V10 engine. The racing car's chassis was made of carbon fiber. While it ultimately decided to abandon that idea, Porsche used the ideas it had developed to produce one of the greatest road cars the world had ever seen.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

Fond Reflection

Anyone who's ever driven a Carrera GT knows that it is quite literally a race car for the road, a lightweight rocket with a screaming V10 and manual gearbox that's incredibly precise and pleasing to use. Unfortunately, those sorts of things just don't exist anymore, but at least we can look back fondly on the time Porsche made it a reality.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about the CGT's 20th Anniversary right here in the Rennlist Forum!

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