2005 Porsche Carrera GT

Powertrain


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TO THE POINT Selling Points: Astounding performance; cutting-edge technology; serious babe-magnet factor
Deal Breakers: Astronomical price tag; poor city driver
Our Advice: Buy a ranch. Build your own track. Have fun.

Powertrain Derived from Porsche’s 24 hours of LeMans efforts, the 5.7-liter, double overhead cam V-10 engine generates 605 horsepower and 435 lb.-ft. of torque, transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.

Unofficially, the Porsche Carrera GT is a racecar; however this is a racecar that was built for the street. It isn’t so much because it produces monstrous amounts of power from its V-10 engine – though it does – or that its carbon fiber construction keeps everything very light weight. It’s more the sum of its parts that make this car worth every bit of its $440,000 price tag.

Derived from Porsche’s 24 hours of LeMans efforts, the 5.7-liter, double overhead cam V-10 engine generates 605 horsepower and 435 lb.-ft. of torque, transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The whole shebang sits just behind the driver in a mid-ship configuration, deep in the belly of the car. Similar to those used in exotic prototype racing machines, the engine is equipped with a dry sump oil system so there is no oil pan like on traditional street cars. This design allows the engine to sit very low – the crankshaft is a few mere inches off the ground – to enhance stability at high speeds.

Appearing for the first time in a street car, Porsche’s Ceramic Composite Clutch (PCCC) technology helps swap gears in the Carrera GT. Ceramic composite clutch systems are used in racing cars but often are short lived. To extend durability for street use, Porsche engineers developed a new two-plate design using ceramics containing carbon fiber and silicon carbide, making this clutch both strong and reliable. At just a little over 6.5 inches in diameter, it is half the size of a normal clutch. This compact design also aids in lowering the car’s center of gravity.

This new clutch design has a few critics who grouse that its quick release character causes them to stall the engine on take off. Launching the GT really isn’t all that difficult if you follow Porsche engineers’ guidance. Don’t touch the accelerator, ease off the clutch pedal slightly, and then as the car starts to roll, quickly release the clutch and you’re on your way. Remember, however, to be just as subtle with the accelerator. We eased out of the pits and rolled smoothly into the throttle, producing eye-watering acceleration that shoved us back into our seats.