- Technological pioneer for lightweight construction and drive innovation
- V10 high-speed engine, developed for Le Mans
- Series production started in 2003 with carbon monocoque and racing technology
A quarter of a century ago, Porsche presented a study in Paris that set standards in technology, design and driving dynamics: Carrera GT. The V10, originally developed for Le Mans, was derived from the LMP 2000 – a prototype that was never put into a race but saw its second wind in the Carrera GT.
A quarter of a century ago, a car premiered that is considered a milestone in many ways: the Porsche Carrera GT. Presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 2000 as a close-to-series sports car study, the car with a V10 engine entered series production three years later. Shortly before, Walter Röhrl piloted the open sports car in front of the international media through the rain from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. “The Carrera GT is an essential element of our philosophy: Taking motorsport seriously, understanding origins – and translating these into motion,” said Roland Kussmaul, a former test driver and engineer at Porsche AG. “It stands for an attitude, not just a performance.”
The legacy of the LMP 2000
The V10 engine that drove the Carrera GT originated from the never-before-used LMP 2000 – a prototype originally developed for the World Endurance Championship. With 5.5-litre displacement, water-cooled, compact construction, it weighed 165 kg – designed for speeds of up to 8,900 rpm. In the late 1990s, Porsche started the project internally under the name LMP 2000. The aim was to build on the overall victories in Le Mans to date. The state-of-the-art V10 was designed as a mid-engine: high-revving, stable, uncompromising. However, when Porsche decided in 1999 to concentrate its capacities on new series models, the project was discontinued.
But the V10 was too good to give up on. Instead of putting it in the museum, Porsche rethought the concept: as the centrepiece of a road-approved super sports car. “We had an engine that was built for the extreme – so we gave it a new challenge: everyday life,” Kussmaul explained. “The LMP 2000 was our vision for the future. The Carrera GT put our ideas on the road.”
Kussmaul relied on the expertise of Röhrl for the chassis tuning of the Carrera GT. “The Carrera GT driver wants to be challenged, but not overwhelmed,” said the two-time World Rally Champion. One of the biggest challenges in terms of tuning was to tame the super sports car in a way that allowed it to also be dynamically driven by non-racing drivers. Röhrl, Kussmaul and their team managed to make the Carrera GT suitable for everyday use.
The Carrera GT as a technical milestone
With a displacement of 5.7 litres, 450 kW (612 PS), a top speed of 330 km/h and a weight of 1,380 kg, the series version of the Carrera GT embodied everything that makes Porsche: Lightweight construction, high speed, mid-engine principle – and the idea of putting racing technology on the road. The body was made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, with magnesium and Kevlar components also in the mix. The monocoque was made entirely of carbon. The Carrera GT was ahead of its time – technologically, dimensionally and philosophically. The adjustable rear wing, the diffuser and the transversely installed six-speed gearbox were taken directly from motorsport. Each component was a commitment to reduction.
“This car is a gift to everyone who wants to know where Porsche came from – and where we want to go,” said Anthony-Robert “Tony” Hatter, then an exterior designer at Porsche. “We took motorsport in its purest form – and made it into a road car.” Between the autumn of 2003 and May 2006, 1,270 hand-crafted cars were produced in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig.
