2003 Porsche Carrera GT Laps the Nürburgring On First Ever Track Day!

Need to break in your 2003 Porsche Carrera GT? How about going over 143 mph while lapping the Nürburgring in heavy traffic?

A 2003 Porsche Carrera GT may not be the fastest Porsche any longer. In fact, even a Cayman, albeit a 718 GT4, can lap the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring faster than the legendary supercar. And although it may not be the fastest it is certainly one of the most revered. Values of the Carrera GT have skyrocketed well into the 7-figure range. And with that, most of these cars you will now find hooked up to a trickle charger in a garage. But the GT is basically a V10-powered race car that belongs on the track. Surely there must be someone, somewhere that drives this car the way it was meant to be driven right?

Believe it or not there is someone that is willing to push the Carrera GT to the limit on a track. And not just any track. The owner of this Carrera GT selected the Nürburgring as the first track that this special car would see. A video was recently posted on the Misha Charoudin YouTube channel. This video captures the very first time this race bred super car ever saw a track. Considering the value of these cars and their reputation of tricky limits it is reasonable to give this man a standing ovation for his courage to tackle this track in this car.

Germany

As an American living in the land of the lawsuit, the first thing that strikes me about this video is that Germany will allow two people in a Carrera GT, one holding a video camera, to tear around a racetrack without even a helmet. Remarkable. The other thing that stands out is the driver is SpongeBob. The actual driver didn’t want to be shown on camera, so Charoudin had a bit of fun with the final edit. But that in no way takes away from the fact that the driver is at the Nürburgring on a busy Saturday to push the car harder than 99.9 percent of all other owners.

The Lap

Since it is a Saturday there is a decent amount of traffic and a couple yellow flags. So, this is not a clean, flat-out lap. However, that being said the owner is pushing it a fair bit. At one point he does top 143 mph. And he is not shy about using the curbing. While the Carrera GT may no longer be the fastest Porsche to lap this historic track, it still ranks as one of the best sounding. That V10 is a screamer.

Video

Come on, you have to watch this one. A Carrera GT out on the track for the first time ever. That is a must watch. And kudos to the owner for enjoying this car like this. I held my breath every time he came up on traffic. Even at the end of the video as he was making his way off the track, I would be mentally shouting at the other cars to not turn in front of him. The Carrera GT is a legend and any owner who is willing to get it on a track like this is equally legendary.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.