Porsche Carrera GT Concept

What is it?
Porsche Carrera GT Concept

What's special about it?
No one expected Porsche to reveal a new sports car at the Paris Auto Show, so the huge crate at the marque's display created quite a buzz. Most assumed Porsche's much-anticipated SUV, the Cayenne, was inside. When the crate was dropped to reveal the Carrera GT concept car, it blew everyone away. Not surprising, since a boxy sport-ute was anticipated and the Carrera GT is as sleek and aggressive a sports car as ever came out of Porsche's Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen design house.

The front view of the car is distinctly Carrera with large, oval, xenon headlights and a rounded, sloping nose. The differences begin at the side where huge air intake ports fore and aft of the doors dominate the profile. Five inches longer than its 911 Carrera cousin, the GT concept also looks longer and sleeker due to a short rear overhang and a steeply raked windscreen. The rear view is flatter and wider than the 911 and also features a retractable rear wing. Monster 20-inch, low-profile rear tires (19-inch in front) and enormous 15-inch ceramic disc brakes with bright yellow calipers suggest the GT's superior performance.

Indeed, the GT sports a 5.5-liter, normally aspirated V10 that generates 558 horsepower and 442 foot-pounds of torque at its top engine speed of more than 8,000 rpm. The engine is made entirely of light alloys, so the weight saved means faster speeds and improved handling. Of course, legendary Porsche steering and suspension systems guarantee the GT will be a joy to drive.

Inside, the Carrera GT is dominated by leather upholstery and aluminum details on the instrument panel, center console and shift lever.

Why should you care?
Unlike many other manufacturers, Porsche concepts don't represent wishful thinking. The last time the German automaker introduced a sports car concept, the Boxster forerunner at Detroit's Auto Show in 1993, it wasn't long before it hit the streets. Likewise, according to Porsche officials, the Carrera GT could be available as soon as 2003.
-- Neil Dunlop