2004 Porsche Carrera GT for sale at Kidston SA

2004 Porsche Carrera GT

Seller's description

Italian delivery, German-registered, 38,994km
Full service history, all books and papers
Presented in classic GT Silver with brown leather with black Ascot inserts

“There’s no denying just how significant a mark the Carrera GT makes on the supercar map. Expletive-inducingly quick, beautifully balanced and phenomenally engineered, it’s the kind of car that will deliver the goods all day every day for the rest of its lifetime without hiccup or complaint” – a 2008 test in the British magazine Car.

Porsche’s Carrera GT project started as a concept at the 2000 Paris Show, using a 5.5-litre V10 derived from a commission received from the Footwork F1 team in the early 90s.

Although it was intended to build 1500, just 1270 examples of Porsche’s 612bhp mid-engined missile were sold. The Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo set the benchmark for ultra-performance hypercars of the mid-2000s, and even today remain stunningly quick road machines, offering the ultimate driving experience to the most experienced drivers.

The Porsche Carrera GT

Post-2000, the industrial conglomerate that made up the group of companies that included Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche was unsure as to which brand would carry its colours at Le Mans. At one point a V10-powered Porsche prototype was on the cards.

Ultimately, the decision was taken to allow Audi a shot at the great 24-hour race unhindered by ‘family’ competition from Porsche. The 2000 Paris Show car had generated much interest, though, and it was decided to make a limited (to 1500) run of cars using data from the aborted Le Mans project. It was in the mould of the McLaren F1 and entered production when final deliveries of the Ferrari Enzo were leaving Maranello.

The new ‘Carrera GT’ that went on sale in 2004, built at Porsche’s new Leipzig factory in the old East Germany, was a high-tech supercar capable of quite extraordinary performance. Zero to 62mph was quoted as just 3.9 seconds, but testers managed it in just 3.5. Top speed was 205mph.

The car was futuristic and exotic, having a carbonfibre tub, magnesium wheels and massive (380mm, or 15in) carbonfibre-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composite brakes. The 5733cc engine was fed cooling air by curving ducts that dominated the side profile of the car.

It was only available as a roadster with a removable hardtop, and the standard colours were: Guards Red, Basalt Black, GT Silver, Fayence Yellow and Seal Grey.

As a pure driving machine it had few equals, and Porsche reinforced this message by only fitting the Carrera GT with a 6-speed manual – not sequential – gearbox. The standard wooden gear knob in beechwood, fitted by Porsche as standard to all Carrera GTs, is a humorous nod to the laminated balsawood items present in iconic racers such as the mighty 917.

Production ceased in May 2006, although the car was catalogued in 2007, impending economic storm clouds causing demand to peter out after only 1270 were delivered.

This Motor Car

Chassis ‘000109’ was delivered to its first, Italian owner in March 2004. The specification was simple: classic GT Silver paintwork matched to a typical Carrera GT interior of brown leather with black ‘Ascot’ inserts.

Outside special colour or trim, there was little for a buyer to specify as options – unusually for a Porsche, the Carrera GT was equipped with a lavish list of equipment as standard. Bi-xenon headlights, satellite navigation and climate control were all included in the list price. This car has a CD-radio ‘Porsche Online Pro’ with ‘Soundsystem Carrera GT’.

On delivery, the Italian family owners registered the title of the car in the name of their leasing company. Some time later ownership was transferred to the family itself, and in 2014 the current German enthusiast acquired it from an Italian dealer. To date, the Carrera GT has covered just 38,994km. The service record is as follows:

20/5/2005 13,300km, Porsche Autoimport Abruzzo S.R.L, Sambuceto (Pescara).
21/7/2006 19,566km, Centro Porsche Padova S.R.L, Padova. Annual service.
9/4/2010 30,726km, Centro Porsche Padova S.R.L, Padova. Main service.
21/10/2013 36,555km, Porsche Marche Motori S.R.L, Ancona. Oil and filter service.
9/6/2015 38,552km, Porsche Centro Assistenza Padova Ovest, Padova. Main service.

As can be seen, ‘000109’ has been serviced up to date.

Considering today’s enthusiasm for limited-production hypercars, it’s almost unthinkable that Porsche never sold its planned, 1500 Carrera GTs. Comparisons can be made with the McLaren F1; cars for which lower-than-expected demand cut their numbers. Consider the value of the British car today, not to mention insatiable worldwide demand for every special-run Porsche, from the recently sold-out 918 Spyder to the GT3 RS and new 911R. The conclusion is obvious.

With its race-track-bred performance, peerless Stuttgart build quality and genuine rarity, the Porsche Carrera GT stands alongside the F1 and Ferrari Enzo as a true great – yet today its value has still to reach the stratospheric levels of its equals. We do not see this situation lasting for ever.

Contact Kidston SA for more details.