Carrera GTZ 2023 drive review
9WERKS Kyle Fortune gets some precious miles in a Porsche Carrera GT modified by Zagato – so what's it like to drive?
Racing might improve the breed, and there’s arguably no finer representation of that than the Porsche Carrera GT. The magnificent 612hp 5.7-litre V10 which powers it was a product of Porsche’s racing department, and while it never actually saw service in competition, motorsport's loss (via internal company wrangling and wider Volkswagen Audi Group racing politics) would prove to be Porsche customers' gain. Porsche put that shelved racing V10 in the back of a concept car for the 2000 Paris Motor Show, with Walter Rohrl debuting it by driving it down the Champs de Élysées, the reaction so enthusiastic that the Carrera GT was signed off for production. To this day when asked, Rohrl still cites the Carrera GT as his favourite car, and he’s not alone in that.
The production model was shown at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, and a during a short two-year run just 1,270 would be built. Those limited numbers, allied to its exotic specification of a carbon fibre monocoque and the eschewing of the then zeitgeist paddle-shifted transmission in favour of a six-speed manual, mated to a famously tricky clutch, would cement the Carrera GT as arguably the peak for manual-equipped cars.
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Sometimes though, special things aren’t just special enough for some, and that was the case when in 2013 a Swiss collector approached Zagato in Italy to re-style the flat rear engine cover on his Carrera GT. Zagato has worked on Porsches previously in the 1950s, and it was only too happy for the opportunity to work on the Carrera GT to enhance its looks, particularly above that glorious V10.
That original car would form the basis for a series of just five cars called Carrera GTZs, one of which we’re not just lucky enough to pore over in detail, but also have the keys for. This green car, the fourth, built in 2019 from a US supplied example, is being prepared for auction, with the sale managed by DK Engineering. It is the first Carrera GTZ ever to reach the open market, so the interest in it is certain to be very high.
Zagato’s revisions might be subtle, but they’re also very effective, with the engine cover in particular adding some elegance to the otherwise abrupt rear of the standard car. The GTZ now features c-pillars, with glazed elements sweeping around and joining buttresses that rise from the rear of the engine cover to reach the removable panels on the roof. It’s beautifully executed, and all relatively discreet unless you’re particularly au fait with the Carrera GT. Elsewhere, there’s a reprofiled front bumper, with more prominent intakes following the lines of the headlights, that Zagato bumper actually adding some practicality by giving a little bit more clearance under the nose than the regular Carrera GT.
The flanks remain the same, save for the addition of some 'Z' badges, though the rear has been revised, with a Zagato-spec exhaust, which increases the sound marginally, signalled by differing exhaust tips and a Zagato specification rear bumper. The cost for these changes, when the car was sent to Zagato in 2019, could have covered the buying of a second Carrera GT, but the owner didn’t leave it at just the bodywork.
The interior has also been re-trimmed by Zagato, this being the only car in the series to get such treatment, with the green leather working with its exterior metallic green paintwork, as well as the naked, lacquered carbon fibre and brushed metals trim inside. The cabin of any Carrera GT is a simple, pure environment, but the Zagato re-trim elevates it to a new level without robbing it of its clear purpose.
Before it’s sold there’s the opportunity to drive it, briefly, so as not to add too many miles on the odometer, but we’re not going to be asked twice. Turning the key has the V10 flare and settle into an intoxicating idle, moving away requiring no use of the throttle, just releasing the clutch gently and letting the V10’s anti-stall get it going. Once it’s moving you can roll onto the accelerator, the V10’s 612hp making light work of what’s being asked of it. The Carrera GTZ gathers speed quickly, with that lovely lack of inertia that the car – and engine – is famous for. The gearshift’s a delight, and so unusual, its specification seeing the Carrera GT cited as the last of the truly analogue hypercars, and so it proves on the road. It sounds absolutely magnificent, whether you’re lugging around using the engine’s ample torque, or wringing it out, enjoying that wonderful gearbox and piling on revs to hear it really sing.
We could do so all day long, but conscious that it’s due for sale, and the fact we can’t afford it, means the drive is over all too quickly. Even a brief time behind the wheel serves as a reminder of how engaging and interesting the Carrera GT is to drive and while that’s no different in Zagato guise in relation to how it feels on the road, how it looks, and how much more special it feels, is very clear indeed. Whoever ends up with the winning bid on the 21st will have bought an incredibly cool, rare version of what’s already an automotive and Porsche icon, and while we’re not usually prone to envy, in these circumstances we’ll make an exception…