Porsche Carrera GT proves it can get faster with age

The Porsche Carrera GT formed one part of the so-called supercar holy trinity back in the early 2000s. Along with the Ferrari Enzo and the Mercedes SLR, the three represented the pinnacle of supercar performance in that era.

Back in 2004, the Porsche Carrera GT was driven by rally legend Walter Rohrl, and finished a lap of the fabled Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes, 28.7 seconds. But 20 years later, German publication Sport Auto brought the V10 supercar back at the Green Hell. With Porsche factory driver Jörg Bergmeister behind the wheel, the Carrera GT lapped a full 16 seconds faster. So how in the world did that happen?

The answer’s simple. New tires. Recently, Porsche collaborated with Michelin to develop new ultra high performance tires for the Carrera GT, as Stuttgart continues to provide support for Carrera GT owners by offering parts and performing recalls on the 20-year old supercar.

The aforementioned Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires for the Carrera GT are being offered free of charge to owners who brought their supercars back to Porsche dealerships. And yes, that includes Carrera GT owners here in the Philippines.

Porsche claimed the new tires are guaranteed to enhance the handling and performance of the Carrera GT, and Sport Auto proved it right. As a result, the 20-year old Carrera GT managed to beat newer cars like the BMW M4 CSL, the Lexus LFA, and even the 991-generation Porsche 911 GT3 with its new rubber.

That goes to show how important tires can be in terms of performance, and how tire technology has also come a long way.