A lively mix of Porsche ownership talk and community updates kicks off with a playful “engine swap” debate (air-cooled vs water-cooled) before the show dives into the big feature: 20 years of Carrera GT ownership. Mark Sumter (Paragon Porsche) shares how the GT came together for him—VIP factory visits, the car’s race-car feel, and why the clutch is genuinely tricky due to minimal flywheel. They also cover the 2000s legality/production cut short, the stop-drive recall, and where the CGT sits versus the 959 and 918. The episode ends with buying tips and marketplace picks, including a Carrera T convertible.
What is it really like to live with a V10-powered analog masterpiece for two decades? In this episode of 9WERKS Radio, we are joined by a man who needs little introduction to the Porsche community: Mark Sumpter, founder of Paragon Porsche and a veteran of the British GT Championship.
While most Carrera GTs are treated as static financial instruments, tucked away in climate-controlled bubbles with delivery mileage, Mark’s story is the antithesis of the "investment" mindset. He has owned his silver CGT for over 20 years, experiencing everything from the initial excitement of its 2004 launch to the long-term realities of maintaining a car with a Le Mans-derived heart.
In this episode, we dive into:
The Acquisition: How Mark secured his car and why he chose it over the 911 GT2s of the era.
The Driving Experience: Mark describes the physical demands of the ceramic twin-plate clutch and why the 5.7L V10 remains the greatest engine ever put in a road car.
Long-Term Maintenance: The reality of the "Major Service." We discuss the technical challenges of the carbon-fiber monocoque and what it takes to keep a Carrera GT in peak health after 20 years.
The Market Evolution: Mark shares his perspective as a specialist dealer on how the CGT went from a "difficult sell" to a multi-million pound icon.
Driven Not Hidden: Why Mark continues to take his car on European road trips and why he believes these cars "die" if they aren't driven.
Technical Deep Dive: The CGT Components
Owning a Carrera GT is a commitment to precision engineering. During the interview, Mark touches on the specific components that define the ownership experience:
The PCCC (Porsche Ceramic Composite Clutch): Why its reputation for being "difficult" is misunderstood, and how to drive it properly to ensure longevity.
The Pushrod Suspension: How the racing-derived setup handles real-world B-roads.
Service Requirements: From engine-out valve clearances to the specialized magnesium wheels.
‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.
The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, and 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support us by joining the 9WERKS Driven Not Hidden Collective you can do so by hitting the link below, your support would be greatly appreciated.
"This is NineWorks Radio, brought to you by the NineWorks Marketplace and powered by the
Driven Not Hidden Collective."
This is the name of the podcast/show. It’s connected to a Porsche-focused marketplace that sells or highlights Porsche cars and parts.
NineWorks Radio is the show branding for 9WERKS Radio, focused on Porsche and car culture. It’s tied to the NineWorks Marketplace, which often features Porsche-related listings and parts.
"This is NineWorks Radio, brought to you by the NineWorks Marketplace and powered by the
Driven Not Hidden Collective."
They mention a marketplace that’s part of the NineWorks brand. It’s basically where Porsche stuff is featured or sold.
The NineWorks Marketplace is the sponsor/partner platform mentioned in the intro. For listeners, it signals the episode’s Porsche-centric ecosystem—cars, parts, and community around the brand.
"[243.0s] Get up to 10% off your basket for all manner of Porsches from 356 to 997 inclusive, plus
[250.2s] the mid-engine and transaxle Porsches by using the code NineWorks10 at heritagepartcenter.com."
The Porsche 356 is an early classic Porsche from the 1950s/60s. It’s a way of saying they cover both old-school and newer Porsches.
The Porsche 356 is the classic early Porsche model, spanning the 1950s and early 1960s. Mentioning it alongside later 911-era numbers signals the marketplace’s broad coverage of vintage to modern Porsches.
"but it's got some kind of bespoke lighting
[414.1s] above the car.
[414.9s] There's a telly on the wall next to it."
They’re talking about custom lighting made specifically for the car. The goal is to make it look great for photos and videos.
“Bespoke lighting” refers to custom-designed lighting aimed at presenting a car for display and media. In collector environments, this is often used to make the car look its best for photos and video shoots, especially when the car is new to public view.
"I know what you're going to say. [738.2s] Cup holders. [740.2s] I mean, how thrilling has the WhatsApp chat been this week for the DNHC?"
They’re talking about the cup holders in the center console. The interesting part is that when the cup holder pops out, another panel can shift back in afterward.
The speakers discuss cup holders as a specific interior feature and how it behaves in certain Porsche layouts. They’re not just talking about convenience—there’s a mechanical/fitment behavior where a central panel can move back in after the cup holder pops out.
"...when you press that cup holder panel above the glove box and the cup holder pops out, if you could pop that central bit back in, not only does it look aesthetically way more pleasing, but it also holds the cup holder in place."
They’re talking about a cup holder in the dashboard that pops out when you press a panel. There’s also a piece that can be put back in so it looks better and stays in place.
This refers to a retractable/press-to-release cup holder assembly mounted in the dashboard area. The discussion is about how the central trim piece can be reinstalled to improve appearance and keep the cup holder properly secured.
"...and you said about this heated steering wheel. How many people realize that there's a, you know, they may not realize they've got a heated steering wheel because the button's hidden away somewhere, isn't it?"
A heated steering wheel uses an embedded heating element to warm the steering rim for comfort in cold weather. On some Porsche models, the control button can be tucked away, so owners may not realize it’s available.
"So yeah, it just pays to shop around. Shop around. It's always worth shopping around."
The takeaway is to compare prices from different places. You might find the same kind of part for a lot less money.
“Shop around” is the core ownership advice here: compare pricing between dealer “genuine” parts and aftermarket/alternative suppliers. For wear items like steering components, price differences can be dramatic even when the part function is the same.
"So I've got lots of new parts that I picked up from Porsche Bournemouth. So yeah, looking forward to getting those on."
That’s a Porsche dealership location. The host is saying they got parts there that you might not find at other shops, and sometimes the dealer pricing is better than you’d expect.
This refers to a Porsche dealership/service center in Bournemouth. In the context of the episode, it’s being used as a source for genuine Porsche parts that may not be widely available elsewhere.
"So 2025 last year, that celebrated a quarter of a century of the concept of the Carrera GT because the show car was revealed in Paris in 2000... The value of the Carrera GT has gone up and up and up"
The Porsche Carrera GT is a special, high-end supercar from Porsche. People really want it because it’s rare and has a big “dream car” reputation, and the episode is talking about what it’s like to own one long-term.
The Porsche Carrera GT is a halo supercar built around the idea of a lightweight, naturally aspirated V10 with track-focused dynamics. In this segment, the hosts connect its 25-year milestone to its original show-car reveal and explain why ownership is so desirable.
"I mean, if you, you know, the cars at the time of the SLR, this, and the Enzo with the sort of trilogy,"
The Ferrari Enzo is one of Ferrari’s most famous supercars. In this discussion, it’s being compared to the Porsche Carrera GT to explain why the Porsche still looks more modern.
The Ferrari Enzo is a landmark early-2000s supercar famous for its mid-engine layout and boxy, purposeful styling. Here it’s contrasted with the Porsche Carrera GT to highlight differences in design language and perceived performance.
"It was first, the concept was first shown to the world at the Paris Motor Show, that was Grant Larson's concept car..."
The Paris Motor Show is a big car event where brands show off new ideas and prototypes. The speaker is saying the design story started there before it became a real car.
The Paris Motor Show is a major international auto exhibition where manufacturers debut concept cars and new designs. In this segment, it’s used as the moment the concept for the eventual production car was first shown publicly.
"It was first, the concept was first shown to the world at the Paris Motor Show, that was Grant Larson's concept car..."
A concept car is like a “preview” car. It’s shown to show what a company might build next, and it may not be exactly what you can buy.
A concept car is a prototype built to showcase design direction, engineering ideas, and future technology rather than to be sold immediately. Concept cars often preview styling cues and powertrain concepts that later influence production models.
"We were lucky enough, we won the British GT in 2000. So we got invited to the night of champions at Viscac,"
British GT is a major UK sports-car racing championship featuring GT3/GT4-style cars and professional drivers. Winning it in 2000 is a strong credibility marker for the speaker’s racing background and helps explain how they got access to high-profile Porsche events.
"because when I came back, I phoned my main dealer, sort of trusted guy that I use, we still use now..."
A “main dealer” is the official dealership for that car brand. If you’re buying something rare, the dealer is usually the channel that can place the order and handle the paperwork correctly.
A “main dealer” is the brand’s authorized dealership network. For a rare car like the Carrera GT, going through a main dealer often means access to the correct ordering process, factory communication, and official updates.
"...They privately gested me over to the factory twice. I went to the Geneva Motor Show where they had another launch"
The Geneva Motor Show (Salon International de l’Auto) was one of the world’s most important auto events, especially for major launches and press previews. Mentioning it here highlights how Porsche used major international shows to debut and promote new supercar information.
"...that was 5.5 litres, it's gone up to 5.7 in capacity
[1766.4s] for production."
“5.5 litres” is the engine’s size—how much space the cylinders have. Bigger displacement can change how the engine makes power and how it drives.
“5.5 litres” refers to engine displacement (total volume of all cylinders). The discussion contrasts prototype displacement with production displacement, which can affect power output and how the engine is tuned.
"...it's gone up to 5.7 in capacity
[1766.4s] for production."
“5.7” is the final engine size for production cars. That kind of change usually means the engineers adjusted the engine to meet the final goals for the car.
“5.7” is the production engine displacement in litres. Displacement changes between prototype and production can reflect final engineering decisions for performance, emissions, or durability.
"...they had this big red hot, sort of like a massive oversized soldering iron, which has heated the carbon fibre chassis up, a hole in the carbon fibre chassis."
Carbon fiber is a strong, lightweight material used in high-performance cars. Here they’re talking about the carbon-fiber chassis and how they install a metal piece into it during production.
A carbon-fiber chassis uses composite material to reduce weight while maintaining stiffness. In the segment, the carbon-fiber chassis is heated to allow a steel component to be installed, showing how the structure is assembled and bonded mechanically.
"...which has heated the carbon fibre chassis up... there was a freezer and they'd frozen a lump of steel... dropped it... in the hole that had been heated for expansion. Obviously frozen for contraction."
They use temperature to make parts change size: heat makes one part expand, and cooling makes another part shrink. That makes assembly easier, and then it locks in place afterward.
Heating a part causes it to expand, while freezing a part causes it to contract. This temperature-based method helps parts slide together or seat correctly before the final tight fit is achieved—consistent with the interference-fit explanation.
"saying that he did one or two days testing, even though it was a sort of stillborn project. They'd spent so much money on it..."
A “stillborn project” means they tried to build something, but it never really got off the ground. It was basically stopped before it could succeed.
A “stillborn project” is a program that gets started but is effectively killed before it can fully develop or reach production/competition. The speaker uses it to describe a costly effort that didn’t continue.
"It had the world's first ceramic two-plate dry clutch with a diameter of just 169 millimetres."
A clutch is what connects and disconnects the engine’s power to the transmission. A ceramic two-plate dry clutch is a special, high-performance version designed to handle heat and stress better than simpler clutch designs.
A dry clutch is not bathed in oil, and a “two-plate” setup uses two friction surfaces/plates to manage torque transfer. The speaker highlights a pioneering ceramic clutch design, which can help with heat resistance and durability in a supercar application.
"...the centre locking wheels with the, obviously, the nut that came with the car."
Instead of several lug nuts, the wheel is held on by one central lock. It can make wheel changes quicker and is a more race-style setup.
Centre-locking wheels use a single central fastener to secure the wheel to the hub, rather than multiple lug nuts. This design can speed wheel changes and is common on motorsport-inspired cars.
"So it is another car that has like a reputation for being pretty prone to stalling."
Stalling is when the engine turns off unexpectedly. Here, they’re saying the car’s setup makes it easier for the engine to drop speed too far and shut off.
Stalling is when the engine shuts off because it can’t maintain idle speed—often during clutch engagement or low-speed driving. In this discussion, stalling is linked to drivetrain characteristics like flywheel mass and clutch/engine response.
"It's a different car with a roof off as well. If you take the roof off, I've done some quite a lot of mileage with the roof off. And obviously, you get the noise of the engine, but it just seems to just sort of, yeah, it's quite a small car inside."
Driving with the roof off makes the car feel more connected to the outside world. You hear more of the engine and it often feels more fun and less “sealed off.”
“Roof-off” driving changes the cabin experience dramatically: more engine noise, more airflow, and a different sense of space. In a car like the Carrera GT, it can also highlight how the car was designed to be enjoyed in an open-top configuration.
PDK is Porsche’s “fast-shifting” automatic gearbox. It uses two clutches to get the next gear ready, so the car can shift quickly without you using a clutch pedal.
PDK is Porsche’s dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’s designed to pre-select the next gear so shifts can be very quick and consistent, especially compared with a traditional torque-converter automatic.
"I've been lucky enough to drive a 959 and a 918.
[3117.8s] Example of never driven the Carrera GT in the middle.
[3122.2s] What I can say for the 959 in particular, I actually think the 959 is one of the easiest"
The Porsche 959 is a famous older Porsche supercar. The host is saying it’s surprisingly easy to drive, and that its tech helped shape later Porsches.
The Porsche 959 is a landmark 1980s supercar known for advanced engineering and electronics for its era. Here, the speaker praises how easy it is to drive for a “classic,” and uses it to highlight how its technology influenced later Porsche models.
"Porsche was worried that he might have flipped the car. Yeah, but he's kept it all those years."
To “flip” a car means buy it and then sell it soon after, usually to make money. Porsche was concerned the buyer might do that instead of keeping the car.
“Flipping” a car means buying it (often at a premium) and then reselling it relatively quickly for a profit. In the transcript, Porsche was worried a dealer/owner might flip the Carrera GT instead of keeping it, which would undermine long-term brand control and the car’s scarcity.
"What's the color? Ruby stone. Well done. The most famous Porsche color there is."
Ruby stone is a Porsche paint color referenced here as the car’s specific exterior finish. Color matters on classic and collectible Porsches because it affects perceived rarity, desirability, and resale appeal.
"That car, Andy, it's about 2000 miles on the clock. If he's box fresh, it's ready to be driven, not hidden."
“Box fresh” means the car is basically brand new, with hardly any miles. The point here is that it’s so new it should be driven, not hidden away.
“Box fresh” means the car is essentially brand new—often with very low mileage and minimal use. The speaker is saying that if it’s truly new, it’s meant to be driven rather than stored away.
"[3895.6s] I think it's, you know, it's great, especially as it being a convertible.
[3899.4s] You're not going to burn the back of your legs on on the seats.
[3902.5s] Yeah, yeah."
A convertible is a car where you can open the roof. That can make the cabin feel cooler and more open, especially in warm weather.
A convertible is a car with a roof that can be opened/closed, usually via a power mechanism. Convertibles often change how heat and comfort are managed, and they can influence seat and trim choices.
"[3902.5s] Yeah, yeah.
[3903.5s] Yeah, definitely.
[3904.7s] For those that would like to know, it's Vanadium Grey Metallic.
[3908.4s] The hood is blue, interestingly."
Vanadium Grey Metallic is a specific Porsche paint color name, indicating both the hue and that it uses metallic flake. Color names matter for matching and for evaluating how the car will look under different lighting.
"[3917.3s] Sport seats, 18-way adjustment with driver function,
[3921.7s] driver memory function and heating."
This feature saves your preferred seat position. When you get in again, the car can move the seat back to where you like it.
Driver memory function lets the car save seat (and sometimes mirror/steering) positions for different drivers. When you select a driver profile, the car can automatically return the settings.
"It's got bows, park assist with surround view, which I think you need on the bigger cars that they are these days."
This is a camera system that shows you what’s around the car from above or from multiple angles. It helps you park by making it easier to see obstacles you might miss.
“Surround view” uses multiple cameras to stitch together a bird’s-eye or wide-angle view around the car. It’s paired with park assist to help guide low-speed maneuvers, especially in tight spaces.
Select text to request an explanation
Andy B, I've got a question for you in these soft starts that we're doing now.
I want to see if I can ask you a question every week.
Would you rather have an air-cooled engine in a water-cooled Porsche
or a water-cooled engine in an air-cooled Porsche?
Oh my God.
Can I have a GT3 engine in an air-cooled Porsche, please?
Okay, which air-cooled generation are you saying?
I think Rean got it quite right, putting it in a 964.
Really?
You've had experience of that. I mean, how good was that?
So good. So good. That was kind of like where my mind went.
Because I've thought about this question quite a lot, as you can imagine.
And that was such a compelling argument to have a water-pumper in a Luft shell.
Yeah, I think that just about is allowable in my head.
Yeah.
Just, yeah, because it's a Metzger engine, because it's, I don't know, it feels right in some ways.
But yeah, every other combination doesn't feel right to me.
That's the only one that allows it for me.
Maybe a turbo.
997 turbo engine in a 993.
Yeah, 997.1 turbo.
Again, it's a Metzger engine, so you've got this sort of ease of doing it.
I think my engineering brain is going as well, I guess.
So yeah, yeah, yeah, that would be another, yeah.
So 993 with a 997.1 turbo engine.
That'd be quite a beast, wouldn't it?
It would.
It would.
Yeah, and a 964 with a GT3 engine.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Imagine putting a 997 turbo engine into like a long bonnet air called Targa.
I mean, they're so flimsy and floppy bodies anyway.
You put the foot down and the thing would scrunch up like a bit of paper, I think.
Yeah, it's not going to be a good combination, is it?
No, no.
And then obviously the other way round of that is like a breathy early T engine in a 992 turbo cab body.
See what I mean?
It wouldn't move.
It wouldn't move.
There's not much that actually works, is there?
No.
No, I didn't think that.
I did like it because I was thinking of that Rean car and thinking GT engine in a, I'd probably go 993 body,
but then I also thought, well, a 993 RS engine in a 996, just C2 shell because it's the lightest,
here we go, pumping up.
Oh, here we go.
It's the lightest water cooled body.
Do you know what I mean?
And then sticking that engine in, it's a six-speed gearbox anyway.
I think that would just be phenomenal and you'd have the sound as well.
Oh my God.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I thought about it too much.
Shall we get on with the pod?
All right, come on.
Let's do it.
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Sign up now at NineWorks.co.uk.
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That's the code NineWorks10 at heritagepartcenter.com.
Amazing, right.
Yeah, away from weird swaps.
How are you doing, Andy B?
I'm very well.
Thank you, Mr Sibley.
How are you?
Dandy.
Dandy, you know, the sun has finally come out in the UK.
I don't want to start a podcast.
Does it feel that way, doesn't it?
Yeah.
Yeah, I don't want to start a podcast talking about the weather, but we recently, Saturday
Spring events in association with RPM Technic.
It was Saturday Sixes at the new, I say the new RPM Technic premises.
They've extended to include a really rad new hangout, bigger showroom with, yeah, like
for want of a better word, like a bar, social breakout hangout area sitting above it.
Really, really awesome.
Yeah, take me through it because I unfortunately couldn't make it due to family reasons.
Yeah, yeah.
But yeah, I'd love to hear what that, the new area's like.
Where is it in relation to the old showroom?
Because the old showroom, you walked in the front door.
There was that bit that had two or three cars in it, the reception area.
There was a little bar area.
You could sit there and do your work and stuff.
And then you went through the door with quite a few cars in that, yeah, in that sort of
area, probably up to 10, I think.
So where's the new bit?
So as you go in the main door by reception, it's straight ahead of you now.
So the showroom...
So I've taken out the back.
Yes.
The unit of the back, okay.
That's it.
So the showroom floor space has probably doubled, to be fair.
It's now got like an air-cooled corner, which is quite nice, slightly different flooring.
It's got the buying boots room, I'm calling it.
It's a bit like a goldfish bowl, glass walls.
And when you're completing your deal with the RPM Technic team, that's where you're
sitting there.
So it's the buying boots room.
I wonder if they give you like a...
You know, look, when you go to a spa day and they give you a set of sliders, I wonder
if they give you some like, you know, some boots just for the task.
The RPM sliders coming up.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
The sale sliders to complete the deal sheet.
And yeah, they're next to that.
They've got, yeah, just like a separate area, which they want to have like a car of high
interest.
There's like a...
So is that rather than 959s apart at the moment?
No, that's somewhere else.
It's not really been in too many photos yet, in fairness.
I did cover it on a recent Tool Shop Tour video.
There wasn't a car in that area at the time, but it's got some kind of bespoke lighting
above the car.
There's a telly on the wall next to it.
So the idea is any media work that's done around the car, or just any media at all.
I mean, imagine like a little roof CTR sitting in the corner there with then like the fascination
video on the telly above it.
I mean, you know, you talk about inspiration.
So that would be cool.
And then like the social area is kind of up in the eaves in the middle of the showroom.
If that makes sense, you can see out either side.
It's got a massive, I think it's 100 inch TV, which is going to be awesome for like your
Le Mans, your Daytona's and everything else.
Loads of seating, coffee bar.
Zero beer is there as well if that kind of partakes and tickles your fancy.
So I don't think the RPM Technic team had naming the bar, but I did ask on my Tool Shop
Tour video if you've got any suggestions to just pop it in the comments below.
And there were a few crackers.
My favorite one by Country Mile was calling the bar 5pm Technic.
I just think that is so inspired.
So yeah, so great setup and the team have got many events planned for this year.
And we were super, super privileged to be the first kind of third party in there.
If that makes sense, the first third party.
Good turnout.
Really good.
Really good.
So we had 40 cars.
The weather turned out too, didn't it?
Yeah, and this is what I mean, Andy, right.
So we had 40 cars from the collective that was limited just due to space on the industrial
state on a Saturday morning, which is still like a working arena.
And yeah, like obviously, as you well know, those tickets, which were free, but we asked
people to grab a ticket just to honour their pledge to turn up because there's coffees to
be made and all the rest of it.
So yeah, 40 cars, great mix.
The sun was shining, Andy, and it makes such a difference, you know, having lots of different
conversations with so many different people.
I really felt that everybody was truly basking and having some sunshine, and it felt like
the first shoot of spring.
It really did.
It just makes all the difference, you know.
Yeah.
And as ever, there was some distance drivers, I guess.
Yep.
Yep.
So we had Ben, Alex and Seb came down from up north.
Again, I don't know where you define up north.
For you and I residing on the south coast, that's pretty much above Winchester as the
long standing joke goes.
But yeah, those guys came down from Cheshire and Yorkshire, respectively.
We had Owen came from Wales, great effort.
So he's popped abroad for the day.
Yeah.
Bristol P came from the obvious.
James came from Suffolk.
Andre came from Essex.
All over, mate.
All over.
Yeah, it's quite a few from Essex, wasn't it?
Really good, mate.
Yeah.
Proper job.
Proper job.
Lovely.
So yeah, like it was just the most outstanding day, and many amazing conversations had.
I have a confession, Andy, because you gave me the podcast kit, didn't you?
Oh, yes.
Yeah, yeah.
How'd it go?
Did you record any?
Well, put it this way.
What you're about to hear is what we got.
Okay.
And thank you for listening.
Sorry.
Do you know what?
I got the kit out.
Yeah.
I put it down by the front door as I was setting up the flags.
Yeah.
And then I completely forgot about the podcast kit until I was going home.
And I was packing the flags away again and thought, oh my God, that's our podcast kit there.
Kudos, I'd say, to the collective because there's a bag with the best part.
A 500 quid's worth of podcast tech just chilling on the floor for the entire show.
And yeah, nobody lifted it.
So that's great.
So yeah.
So I didn't get any podcast snippets, unfortunately.
And similarly, I got zero pictures really.
Just more.
You did way too, though.
There were some great pictures taken.
I've seen on the WhatsApp group.
There was.
That comes to mind Ben and Ollie and there was somebody else that's posted some as well.
They're amazing.
Ben's pictures are amazing.
Ollie's pictures are absolutely amazing.
There's a few people taking some snaps.
Max was having a day off I saw, so that was good.
No camera.
I think he was too busy telling everyone about his battery woes.
Oh yeah.
But yeah, do you know what?
I mean, fantastic guys.
Thank you for taking those pictures.
That's really helped us out in order to share them.
But I personally really enjoyed putting the phone away and not trying to gather content
for people that weren't there, but actually being present for the people that were there.
So that's a bit of a theme for me these days.
And yeah, again, just the reward of that was so many wonderful conversations.
So thank you to everybody for coming along and thank you to RPM Technic for hosting us as well.
As I said, we were the first independent community through the door there.
So it was really, really awesome.
Great work. Glad it went well.
Amazing, mate.
I've got a couple of other notes just off of WhatsApp this week.
And I think this may be useful to everybody else, or some people listening.
I know what you're going to say.
Cup holders.
I mean, how thrilling has the WhatsApp chat been this week for the DNHC?
We had some chat on cup holders, but it stemmed from Ben basically
realizing only in the last week that on the 9x7 and forward,
the cup holders, when it pops out, that central panel can pop back in
once the cup holder has flopped out for one of a slightly dodgy term.
I didn't realize that until maybe last year sometime.
Really? Yeah.
But then I've not got a car.
It's not my, I don't drive around in it, do it?
It's just, I think it was when we did that twin test.
Do you remember the GTS and the S?
Four S, wasn't it?
I think it was then that I realized.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, it's like, well, you've got an excuse, haven't you?
Because you haven't got the car sitting on your drive.
But it made me laugh.
It made me laugh.
And it just also caused me to ponder.
I wonder how many other people potentially listening to this podcast
who are driving around with a 9x7 or 98199718.
And don't realize that when you press that cup holder panel
above the glove box and the cup holder pops out,
if you could pop that central bit back in,
not only does it look aesthetically way more pleasing,
but it also holds the cup holder in place.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I was watching a video the other day of yours
and it was, I think it was the 991 cab
and you said about this heated steering wheel.
Yeah.
How many people realize that there's a,
you know, they may not realize they've got a heated steering wheel
because the button's hidden away somewhere, isn't it?
On this column or on the back of the steering wheel, where is it?
Yeah.
So on, I mean, yeah, it's always at the base of the centre of the steering wheel
on the, like the modern stuff,
it's literally right at the base at the back of the wheel.
So just when you're, when you're holding the steering wheel
at six o'clock round the other side,
there's a tiny little nib in between for like the 992s and 718s.
It's like a twin, if you've got the sport wheel, isn't it?
Twin spoke at the bottom.
And there's a tiny little nib of a button at the base of that.
With the 997s, it's a little bit more pronounced.
It's basically in the middle of that kind of vertical,
what do you call it?
Not column, spoke.
Spoke, yeah.
Yeah, so just put your finger round the back,
have a press and see what happens.
And yeah, some people may be rocking a heated steering wheel,
which is a delightful, delightful addition to any car.
I may not realise it.
I wonder how many other little nuggets there are like that,
that people don't realise.
Shout if you think of anything that should be more publicly aware.
Definitely, definitely.
I wonder how many people drive their car, particularly obviously,
actually it's obvious if they've not specced the car from new,
but maybe don't realise it even has rear axle steering.
Yeah.
You know, it can happen.
It can happen, I'm sure.
So yeah, if there's any other little bits and pieces that other people
should know, please, please do let us know.
Yeah, absolutely.
So on the subject as well of every day being a school day
and learning things, I'd like to give a shout out to Alec,
because he learned in the last week or so that shopping with
our friends at Heritage Park Centre can save you a lot of money.
He has, yeah, an early Boxster that needs a little bit of work.
He was quoted 420 quid plus VAT for genuine inner tie rod items.
I found the same part for him inner tie rods from Myla
at Heritage Park Centre coming with a two-year unlimited Myla's warranty,
both sides for 50 quid all in 10% of the price.
What's this?
So yeah, it just pays to shop around.
Shop around.
It's always worth shopping around.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've just got a load of parts actually for finishing my engine.
Little project off.
Pick those up today.
So I've got lots of new parts that I picked up from Porsche Bournemouth.
So yeah, looking forward to getting those on.
And as we've said before, shop around because a lot of the parts
that I've picked up today aren't available at other places.
They're only available through Porsche, but they're actually a lot cheaper
than you would think rather than trying to get good secondhand parts
or whatever, or trying to fudge something.
You'll be surprised how available parts are and how you can,
they're not as expensive as you might think.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it definitely pays to shop around.
I mean, if you're looking at, you know, my build, for example,
with Little Irish and that huge spreadsheet shopping around,
as we've realised, you know, you have to go to the right place
for the right part.
Exactly.
Yeah.
You know, there's not one fit for all.
No.
And so it requires a little bit of work and a little bit of digging.
But I mean, yeah, we've saved so much money in shopping around
rather than just going on the internet and clicking the first part you see.
So it depends what you value more really, you know, cash or convenience
ultimately, but it's so worth it.
And we're quite lucky as enthusiasts that there are kind of so many different
outlets and destinations for us to pick these parts up from.
So just, yeah, do a bit of digging.
We dive into the main crux of the feature,
or shall we talk about some buying boots?
Let's do the main crux.
Shall we come back to buying boots?
Well, I like it.
Leaving a bit on the table for later.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So 2025 last year, that celebrated a quarter of a century of the concept
of the Carrera GT because the show car was revealed in Paris in 2000
with Walter Roll driving down the Chandelier in the lashing it down rain
with no roof.
And obviously that was when they realized Porsche realized the roof needed
to be added into the mix of the Carrera GT's repertoire.
Well, obviously a lot of time has passed since then.
The value of the Carrera GT has gone up and up and up
and it's firmly cemented itself as the middle car of the Porsche Holy Trinity.
The 959 before it, the 918 thereafter.
Well, we're very lucky enough to know someone here at Numbwaite's Radio
who's owned a Carrera GT from New, still owns it today
and is happy to sit down and talk to us about just what it's like
to own one of those Holy Trinity cars for a prolonged period of time.
It's Mark Sumter at Paragon Porsche.
Thanks for joining us.
Hello.
Thank you.
And in between us, it does feel like we are quite a gulf away,
but the reason is we've got Porsche's Type 980 in between us
as we discuss the car on what is from its concept a 25th anniversary this year.
It's unbelievable, isn't it?
Slipped under the radar.
Slipped under the radar.
Mark, you have a wealth of knowledge on these cars as owner, enthusiast
and someone that's done many miles in them.
Probably more than your average, I would say.
Yeah.
I mean, there's one guy, John Chester, do you know John?
I don't.
He's over 100,000 kilometres on here, so yeah, I'm nowhere near that.
Yeah.
Since it's been in for the recall, I think there's quite a few of us owners
that think we've got to plan a trip.
We sort of get back out there with it.
But yeah, I'm not trying to keep the mileage down,
but life gets in the way sometimes.
Yeah.
So just checking some notes here from previous work we've done with NineWorks.
So Tony Hatter, designer of the Carrera GT,
he called it a very cost-conscious project which nearly didn't make it.
A quarter of a century on, how do you reflect on the Carrera GT?
Yeah, it's weird.
I mean, I remember them talking about the KN,
the success of the KN sort of helping out with this car.
But is that right?
Yeah.
Well, it's only financially.
Yeah, financially.
Yeah, definitely.
Because it was sort of, there was a bit of kickback, wasn't there,
when the Cayenne, SUV, Porsche doing an SUV and all of that.
But at the time when we were talking to them about this,
they were sort of saying that projects like the Cayenne
would pay for halo cars like this, you know, or subsidise if you like.
Because I don't think they made any money on the Carrera GT project.
Well, I mean, again, like where Tony had said previously,
where it nearly didn't make it, I fully believe him on it.
He describes it as a cost-conscious project.
You know, I think, well, there's carbon monocoque in there,
there's Kevlar panels, there is ceramic on the brakes,
you've got a small ceramic diameter clutch,
and so many different materials and such like an exotic use of them.
I'm not sure it's cost-conscious.
No, I hadn't heard that quote, actually, until you told me.
But it doesn't seem it, does it?
It seems like they went all out to build the best car.
I mean, if you, you know, the cars at the time of the SLR, this,
and the Enzo with the sort of trilogy,
I mean, they didn't really name them like that at that time.
But if you, you know, nothing against Ferrari,
but if you park a Carrera GT next to an Enzo,
this looks a decade newer in the design.
You know, the Ferrari's still sort of box-sectioned.
You know, the way the engine sits high in the back of the car,
and Carrera GT just looks light years ahead of it,
and I think performed better.
You know, I mean, definitely was the quicker of the three cars
when they tried to man the, around the Nurburgring thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, there's, you know, there's a lot of things on this car
that even today look pretty modern 25 years later.
It's a great point, you know, looking at it as we are on the video currently.
You know, it does still, to me at least, it does feel like,
it has a fresh, modern look about it.
It really does.
I spoke to somebody, it wasn't Tony,
but it was somebody at the factory,
and they planned to build 1,500 cars.
Yes.
And they had to stop production because of the federalization,
or I think it was the pedestrian crash testing,
which is when the fronts of the cars then became a bit sort of snubbier,
nose if you like, so this low front, this,
the sort of strike height of the front number plate and things like that
wouldn't have passed those tests.
And I know with the Ford GT program, if you read about that,
which is similar time, they also ceased production
at exactly the same time as the Carrera GT.
Wow.
And cut short the planned production numbers.
And I think that this, you know, this car had to stop in,
in and around sort of mid-2006,
because by the end of 2006, it was an illegal car to sell in many places.
Wow.
Okay. See, I didn't know that.
I've had that on my notes here about, yeah, 1,270 made
with the initial target being 1,500,
given its kind of production time between 2003 and 2006,
I had assimilated that to being, well, 996RS
was a bit of a struggle numbers-wise at the time,
and I'd assumed that maybe they overreact the omelette,
if you like, on their target.
But evidently, I didn't know that, so that's great knowledge.
Yeah, I mean, you might know, but I think that,
I think it was just they ran out of time
for the cars being legal with these crash test,
you know, the pedestrian crash test.
They obviously wanted to use that production line as well.
I think for SUVs straight afterwards,
when the last car came off the line, I think that's what they did with it.
Yeah.
So there's probably pressure to get going.
Yeah, because obviously this was made at Leipzig,
or Leipzig, let me check the pronunciation of that,
which was like the new factory at the time for Porsche.
It was first, the concept was first shown to the world
at the Paris Motor Show, that was Grant Larson's concept car,
which had, it was a boxed-the-base with a version
of the V10 engine in it.
Walter Roll driving down the Chandelier, quite famously,
very early in the morning, it was raining,
and it was at that point where the team realised,
well, we need to put a roof on this thing.
Yeah.
That was in, yeah, March, spring of 2000.
When was the first time you saw the car?
Well, it seems unbelievable now
that I didn't really see any of that.
You know, although that's what I was doing as a day job.
I must have seen pictures, but it was a shock to me
when I saw it.
We were lucky enough, we won the British GT in 2000.
So we got invited to the night of champions at Viscac,
which was amazing.
Very cool.
Amazing event to go to.
Yeah, I felt like a bit of an imposter there, really,
but I was sitting, you know, there were about a thousand
Porsche VIPs there and racing drivers from around the world,
and they were sitting at a table with Dick Barber,
Dick Barber racing and his lead driver, Luca Riccatelli.
And behind me, about 10 foot behind me was the car,
the prototype.
And I got a sore neck from, I should have been looking
at the stage and I was just kept looking at this car,
not really knowing what it was,
because it's obviously, it was no social media back then,
and I hadn't kept up with the, I hadn't been to Paris
to the motor show and I didn't really know anything about it.
I didn't feel that bad about not knowing much about it,
because when I came back, I phoned my main dealer,
sort of trusted guy that I use, we still use now,
said, I've seen this car and whatever it is, I want one,
it just says GT on the back and I don't,
and he didn't know what it was either.
So it's quite weird, isn't it?
We obviously soon worked out what it was and did some research,
but it's not, you know, you sort of forget today
that you can't miss anything if you've got a phone or a computer.
It's thrust at you, isn't it?
You don't miss the launch of a couple of weeks ago,
the new turbo and we all saw it probably within 24 hours.
But back then, 25 years ago, you had to look for stuff
and I hadn't seen it.
But yeah, so I put my request in knowing nothing about it
right at the end of 2000, so December 2000.
Yeah, okay, interesting.
So that's near on nine months before your first, you know,
like eyeball exposure to the car.
And four and a half years before they let me buy it,
this is May 2005.
But I mean, back then, once they'd taken my order,
they really looked after it.
They privately gested me over to the factory twice.
I went to the Geneva Motor Show where they had another launch
for the following year.
We went, I drove the test car, went out with,
I think it was the German sideways champion or something
that took me out in a yellow one,
which had no synchromesh is left on the gearbox.
But we were going along about 100 miles an hour
and he just asked me if I liked sideways.
I went, yeah.
And he just threw the thing sideways.
It was amazing.
But yeah, the VIP treatment that you got
taking one of these cars was amazing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay, very, very, very interesting
to have our minds cast back to that time.
The production car, and you alluded to this off camera mark,
so it's, I mean, 610 horsepower,
their production spec of the engine,
it was slightly, slightly larger.
Or not. 611 or 6...
Well, you know what, on the...
Some people said...
Okay, there we go, there we go.
Thanks, Kay, for that.
Yeah, you should...
Which was absolutely mind-blowing.
And now 100 horsepower less than the latest turbo, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wow, wow.
But V10, kind of crucially, the production...
Or the prototype cars you alluded to off camera,
that was 5.5 litres, it's gone up to 5.7 in capacity
for production.
Again, I wasn't aware of this,
but there's some stuff you're mentioning off camera
in terms of the dynamics and the layout of the vehicle
and that kind of low overall centre of gravity.
Yeah, I mean, it's...
Whenever I lift the bootlid and show someone the engine,
it just amazes me, the cylinder head is basically knee height.
The top of, you know, 5.7 V10 engine is knee height.
Yeah.
I think that the centre line of the crankshaft
is about eight inches off the tarmac,
you know, when the car's sitting on its wheels.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's really special.
And if you look, the rear wheels are right at the back of the car,
there's not a great deal of rear overhang.
The engine's quite a long way forward from the drive shaft,
so yeah, it's immense.
I'd never appreciated dynamically exactly that
and from a road car that really is quite special.
Yeah, and they were super proud.
I remember going down the production line
and they had this big red hot,
sort of like a massive oversized soldering iron,
which has heated the carbon fibre chassis up,
a hole in the carbon fibre chassis.
And then another engineer came out,
there was a freezer and they'd frozen a lump of steel,
I guess it is, a gush,
and they came out and dropped it, you know,
in the hole that had been heated for expansion.
Yeah.
Obviously frozen for contraction.
And they just said,
that was for the life of the car, that will never move now,
just as an interference fit once they married to each other.
And that is because it's got the push-rod rear suspension.
That's the main points that they rock.
And to see them doing that, the factoring was pretty special.
Yeah, yeah, very cool.
I wondered if 918 customers had that sort of exposure.
Again, you'll know more than me,
but it's a little bit of a common misconception
from my understanding with Garza the Engine,
it was destined for a Formula 1 car.
It was actually an LMP car that's successor to the GT1.
I actually saw the car,
they ran up the hill at Goodwood two years ago,
and I happened to be part of it and had it in the bay next to it.
So I saw a lot of the car.
They produced a car, I think they did.
I think Anna McNish was in a magazine recently,
saying that he did one or two days testing,
even though it was a sort of stillborn project.
They'd spent so much money on it,
he said, let's take it out for one day, it runs, it works.
And they killed the project,
but gave them enough money to sort of run the team for another month
just to prove it would work.
5.5 litre, which they increased, as you say, 5.7,
I guess just to make it a bit more tractable for the road.
It still feels like a racing car engine.
When you switch it off,
because there's no inertia,
because there's obviously very little flywheel,
it stops like a Formula 1 engine.
It stops like it's seized as you turn the key off.
It's quite funny, there's no sort of overrun.
And the noise is, I think,
maybe the Gordon Murray car now supersedes it with its revs and things,
but up until that, to me, it's the best engine,
best sounding road car engine ever.
It's fascinating to get the insight
and we'll come on to how it drives,
but just those nuances that separate this,
not just from any other road car, but any other Porsche,
like production Porsche, really.
I mean, there are some other technical highlights to go through here.
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