In a 2004 guest column for Motor Trend, the high priest of Porsche collecting, Jerry Seinfeld, described his reaction to first laying eyes upon Zuffenhausen’s newest creation:

“When they rolled it out of the garage, I don't think my wife would have liked the way I looked at this thing… I felt attracted to it in a way I'm not completely comfortable with.”

In the two decades that have followed, countless enthusiasts will admit they share Seinfeld’s concerning level of attraction to Porsche’s masterpiece, a car widely considered to wear the crown of the last great analog supercar: A 5.7-liter, V-10-powered fire-breathing monster paired with a true manual gearbox, unencumbered by any intrusive electronic driving aids.

That 68-degree V-10 featured four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing on its intake camshafts, and a screaming 8,400-rpm redline. Output was an arresting 605 horsepower. The engine would arrive at the end of a decidedly mechanical era as automakers sought to integrate sophisticated computer controls into every aspect of new cars, especially their traction management systems. Even track cars would begin to task advanced computer systems to manage engine power within a few years. In the Carrera GT, Porsche used only a traction control system—because otherwise, the engine’s immense power would readily overcome its tires.

The Carrera GT was more than just a simple housing for a race engine and transmission, however, featuring a carbon-fiber monocoque and subframe sourced from Italian firm ATR Composites. Staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear magnesium-alloy center-lock wheels provided cover for the massive eight-piston brake calipers up front and four-piston calipers at the rear.

The production car that arrived in 2003 could vault to 60 mph in just four seconds, shifted as fast as a driver could possibly handle. On a closed course, it topped out at around 200 mph. In the expert hands of factory test driver Walter Röhrl in July 2004, a Carrera GT rocketed through the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in a mere 7 minutes and 28 seconds. The record stood for more than half a decade.

EARLY PRODUCTION, CANADIAN DELIVERY

Completing production 25 May 2004, this Carrera GT is a relatively early production example being serial number 162 of about 1,270 examples produced between 2004 and 2006. Finished in the quintessential Porsche hue of GT Silver Metallic (U2) over a Terracotta (MZ) interior, this car was equipped with Porsche Online Pro CD radio, all-leather seats, air conditioning, car cover, and a set of Terracotta luggage (note that two pieces of this luggage accompany the car today).

Its rarity is furthered by being one of an exceedingly few Carrera GTs delivered new to Canada, reportedly as a birthday gift from a man to his brother! That fortunate brother held his gift for the better part of the next decade, fastidiously maintaining it through its delivery dealership, Lauzon Porsche of Laval, Quebec, before it was acquired by the Dare to Dream Collection in 2014. A bevy of accompanying service records dating from new document the careful maintenance this car received by during the first owner’s tenure. Dare to Dream has continued the car’s exceptional level of care over their own decade-long tenure; at the time of cataloguing, it has been driven 11,652 kilometers (~7,241 miles). It is now offered accompanied by service records and an assortment of owner’s manuals, as well as two pieces of luggage and a center-lock wheel nut socket.

Seinfeld closed his column echoing the thoughts of anyone fortunate enough to have driven a Carrera GT on the open road, with the full wail of its V-10 bellowing under acceleration:

“All the other superexotic fantasy whatevers, melt them back down; these bloody buggers have cracked it… they have successfully built the single greatest sports car in the history of the world to date.”

As electrification trickles into the Porsche lineup, the Carrera GT stands apart as a reminder of the company’s audacious, not-too-distant past. This early-production example represents an automotive landmark, an icon of its era, and one of the last true analog driver’s supercars.