Nick

Mike I believe in your several well written paragraphs you confirmed what most of us envious/less financially able people always knew. You cannot rationalize a purchase of any supercar.

However, I disagree with you assessment that Porsche need not fear the competition. I and several people I know who fit Porsche ideal customer profile will not buy Porsche again. Make no mistake they make a fine car. What is lacking is the passion which compels us to buy the car regardless of price and performance. When the landscape is inundated with Porsche's whether Boxsters, 996, C4S TT's GT3 and GT2's they become unexceptional.

The fact is you are "trading up" in part for that reason. To say you are buying the CGT solely for performance is difficult to accept in light of the fact there are several cheaper alternative's which will perform as good if not better for a substantially cheaper price. You want to escape the Porsche dilution.

W8MM

Nick,

Even though one cannot successfully provide a rational reason to buy a supercar in the US, one can always provide some reason or other.

My reasons may be purely aesthetic, or may be colored by objective characteristics. To say that escaping "dilution" is my main reason only serves to reveal your particular predisposition to the dilemma of supercars. Others may choose to emphasize different priorities altogether.

Maybe it's my age, but it's not so important to me that some other drivers in my neighborhood drive the same car I do. I don't really care how many cars Porsche produces of various types. I just bought a 996 TT Cabriolet because it combined a number of desirable characteristics into a single vehicle not previously available together. I find the combination quite pleasant. There are (and will be) quite a few others in Cincinnati, but so what?

The Carrera GT is a completely different proposition. It has very few of the compromises common to street cars that dull the race car experience. None the less, it has license plates and air conditioning! I consider it a "practical" replacement for my former 962 AND 911 RS/IROC embodied in a single car.

Any "dilution" that I'm trying to avoid has nothing to do with high production volume or loss of exclusivity. I would like absolutely no dilution of the race car experience, encapsulated in a product that is practical to be driven on the street. The CGT delivers this in spades. It also happens to cost an arm and a leg, but I've decided that, for me, it's worth it. There are plenty of intangibles included with this car that add to the raw, mathematical performance in a way that is very pleasing to me.

I think you were talking about the dilution of prestige according to your perception of the loss of exclusivity via big sales numbers and a slight over-supply of product. You obviously place exclusivity and managed and/or limited supply above other considerations. It's fine with me if you have this opinion. I merely have different priorities.

Hammering away on your point of view doesn't make it any more appealing to me, but it does make it very clear how it differs from mine.

jhunt@huntinter

125k for that old car. Geez, I'll bet it doesn't even have a decent radio.

Would you take a kidney???



John

Les Quam

John, Mario Andrettis comment vexed me for many years. It was a long journey with many off track moments that was sometimes expensive I finally was enlightened during a shifter Kart race, here in Vegas at the Sloan track after watching Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser who live in Vegas take a corner on the track in a way that no one else could including some of the best young Karters in the nation. So I went up to both those pro's and asked them for the magic secret. Jimmy and I were using identical Karts and motors built by the same engine builder and he had given me his set up, so I asked him and Paul HOW they were able to do this. Now I understand I am not ever going to have those guys racing skill's. But I had won race's and championships in shifter Karts and considered myself quick enough to keep up with those guys on a Kart track at least for a little while or until Paul bumped me off the track( in a fun way). Remember they use shifter karts for training and neither had raced shifter karts as kids so I felt like I should be able to get through this corner as fast as them. Plus I had 100 times the laps on this track, all of which made me wonder why I couldn't do what they could no. And again I have no delusions of granduer. Also you should know both these guy's are the greatest most accessible guys at the Kart track. They will talk to anyone and sign anything and spend as much time as you want talking about anything other then their CART jobs. Total pleasures, as a matter of fact when I first met Paul I didn't recognize him Just the most fun , competitve guy you will ever meet. But I digress, well they told me the brakes were not for slowing the car down as a primary function. When I went out and applied the brakes as a function of balancing the Kart I was able to get through the corner flat. But still not near as smooth and fast as them. I went on and applied this principle in all the cars I raced and it made a HUGE difference.

jhunt@huntinter

hmmm... a well balance car going off into the bushes. I can see what happens the first time I try it

jhunt@huntinter

hmmm... a well balance car going off into the bushes. I can see what happens the first time I try it

Les Quam

John, it's safer and less expensive to learn this in a Kart rather then a Porsche. Karting is the single best car control teaching aid for high performance driving that is available. Their is a reason virtually every pro driver at every level can be found at quality Kart track in their shifter Kart or in Europe and South America in their gearbox Karts in between race's. Every time Micheal Schumacher get's the chance he tell's the media and who ever will listen about the benefits of Karting. It is also the best place to meet and get to know the drivers in an a relaxed atmosphere. They love karting because it's hard and demanding and if you are out there they see that you must be crazy or a true enthusiast. Many times if you blow off work during the week you and some of the most best drivers in the world will be the only one's at the track. And even though you are a nobody they still enjoy smoking your butt as they go by you on the track. Every town has a good Kart track within driving distance. They also have a club racing series for beginners as well to get you started. Karting is the best racing for the buck in the world and is the quickest way to get fast in your Porsche. No matter what Kart you drive , your Porshe will seem slow on the way home!!

W8MM

Correct. No radio.

But it does come with the original seats. It was one of the practice cars.






You, too, could mingle your perspiration with that of Mark Donohue, Bobby Unser, George Folmer, A.J. Foyt, Peter Reveson, Richard Petty, Emerson Fitipaldi, and more. Put your backside into the Nomex seat covering and transport yourself to the '74 Daytona finale!

Here's an interesting IROC web site.

jhunt@huntinter

"You, too, could mingle your perspiration with that of Mark Donohue, Bobby Unser, George Folmer, A.J. Foyt, Peter Reveson, Richard Petty, Emerson Fitipaldi, and more."

So no radio and it smells too. Oh boy, where do I get in line.

Actually I know that is an awesome car with an amazing history. Did you know they started with season with ducktails? Only year the IROC's were Porsche. After that is was Camaro's and the like. This would be a lot of fun at Porsche Club track days.

John from WA

W8MM

Hi John,

Yes, indeed, they started out with the "duck tails" of the '73 911 RS.

The above pictures show the "whale tail" rear spoiler that was used in the actual racing activity.

The top picture must be from Riverside. The trailing edge of the "whale tail" does not have the "wicker bill" angle-iron (actually aluminum), rivited-on, aerodynamic aid that appeared at Daytona. The higher speeds at Daytona required an increase in rear down-force to avoid being too "loose" on the banking.

See "wicker bill" in the picture below. It's the black-anodized lip on the trailing edge of the rear spoiler:



You're right about track days, the car's an absolute blast.

I'm only selling it to make room for the Carrera GT, which I also expect to be a blast at track events.

Mark S.

All that $$ and low and behold your Flatnose S will still be your rarest and most "Porsche" like car!

Les Quam

Mark S. But look at all the carbon fibre I get, and don't forget with the CGT I get luggage and car cover all included!!!!

Mark S.

true .... true .... plus four extra cylinders just in case!

Alfie

Les, you only get them included if you select the no charge options

Les Quam

Alfie, I selected all the no charge(bribe) options, except the wider seats so I guess I get all the extras. Alfie are any of your deposit holders nervous about the performance numbers in comparison to the competition in view of the high price? Or am I the only nervous nellie?