2005 Porsche Carrera "GT"
Specifications
Configuration: Longitudinal mid-engine
Engine: Naturally aspirated V10
Displacement: 5.7L
Horsepower: 612hp at 8000RPM
Torque: 435 ft/lbs at 5750RPM
Max RPM: 8400RPM
Transmission: 6-speed manual
A Little History
The Carrera GT was released originally in 2003 as Porsche’s completely redesigned supercar. Previously, Porsche had only released one supercar, the 959, but it drew many similarities, including the look and feel, from the 911.
The Design: From the ground up, the Carrera GT was designed as a new platform of supercar, drawing specific aspects from Porsche’s Lemans racing team. They borrowed the carbon fiber monocock and subframe, the ceramic brakes and clutch, as well as the inboard suspension. Unlike other supercars being produced at the time, the Carrera GT was only available with a manual gearbox. It was also the only supercar made at that time that did not offer a myriad of electronic driving aids. The Carrera GT offered only electronic traction control, but not anything like dynamic stability control, electronic suspension, simulated limited slip, etc. Porsche eliminated the driving aids in this particular model because it was designed to be a driver’s car; it is not easy to drive and therefore not made for an average driver.
Also derived from the racecars, the Carrera GT has what is known as a “mono-nut wheel.” It is a wheel connected to the axle by a singular, large nut, as opposed to the five typical lugnuts. A mono-nut wheel is used during races due to the ease of changing tires with one nut instead of five.
Porsche took the concept of the stationary wing found on its racecars, and replaced it with the active-aero wing popular amongst other supercars.
Did you know?
The shifter is intentionally placed closer to the steering wheel, as seen in the Porsche GT3RSR racecar, in order to be able to shift faster.
The driver’s side mononut tightens counterclockwise, and the passenger’s side mononut tightens clockwise, so Porsche assigned colors to each side to avoid any confusion.
The predecessor to the RS Spyder is the 962K8 Spyder, currently on display.
