It’s true to say that there might just be a couple of people out there who will find the GT’s acceleration a little tame, but given that their overalls are embroidered with ‘NASA’, their point of reference is rarefied to say the least.
It isn’t easy to get off the line cleanly. The action of that carbon clutch is heavy, the gap between engagement and disengagement is unforgiving, and the V10 is so strong that the car actually posts its best time by feeding in as much torque as the 335-section rear tyres can handle. The GT sluices to 30mph and 60mph in 1.7sec and 3.7sec respectively.
The spec sheet yields a 410bhp per tonne power-to-weight ratio for the Porsche and 444 for the Pagani Zonda. The Zonda loses a tenth to 30mph and matches the GT to 60mph.
From there on in, their performance is near-identical. Both hit 100mph in 7.4sec and by 150mph the Porsche has managed to eke its nose just 0.2sec out in front. But it’s the Porsche that holds the advantage between 150mph and its eventual 205mph top speed. At which point it feels better planted than a BMW 330 Ci at 125mph.
Noise is a GT strong point. Below 4000rpm it’s very much generic V10, but as the revs rise, the induction tracts snort a more angry tune; 6000rpm turns heads at 100 yards and from 7000-8000rpm it is stupendous.
Below 60mph, the Carrera GT doesn't work. It’s telescopic dampers don’t stir, its steering column heavy, and the whole car fidgets whatever the surface. For some this will come as a disappointment, but once they understand just what Porsche has managed with the GT’s chassis, the inevitable low-speed sacrifices will be forgotten.
This is why: the Carrera GT is like a 600bhp Boxster S... and that's just what the company’s engineers want to hear. They've deliberately sustained a tangible link between it and their little Boxster – and from the familiar feel of the steering wheel rim, to the weight of the rack itself, they've emphatically succeeded.
