When a car is about to die its natural death, most car owners scrap it off and replace it with a new one. However, we enthusiasts try to do our best to bring it back to life instead of just disposing of something close to our hearts. Here is one such car lover who took his dying Porsche Carrera GT to Dr. Porsche Classic for a thorough restoration.

2019 Porsche Carrera GT "Recommissioned" by Porsche Classic

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2019 Porsche Carrera GT "Recommissioned" by Porsche Classic

2020 Porsche Carrera GT "Recommissioned" by Porsche Classic

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2020 Porsche Carrera GT "Recommissioned" by Porsche Classic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

About The Legendary Porsche Carrera GT

The Porsche Carrera GT is one of the hottest looking cars the automaker has produced. The limited-production car, 1270 copies of which were produced in total, was launched in 2004 and came with a 5.7-liter, race-derived V-10 engine that produced 612 horses and 435 pound-feet of torque. It was mated to a six-speed manual transmission. It came with a rear diffuser and airflow channels that work with the carbon underfloor to provide a ‘suction’ effect. It also had a carbon fiber reinforced plastic module frame with a monocoque chassis, and a curbweight of just 3,000 pounds. The suspension setup was also something we have seen in motorsport cars - steel push-rods operating the spring and damper elements. This was Porsche's first street-legal supercar with the engine mounted behind the rear seats.

What Makes the Porsche Carrera GT "Recommissioned" by Porsche Classic Special?

Resto-mods on such exquisite cars need to be done under the supervision of the experts. Although it sounds quite unusual for a car of this caliber to undergo a full restoration at a 'young' age of 15, the owner of this beauty decided to go ahead with it anyway. Luckily for this owner, he could get it done at the factory level itself. The owner did not want the factory to only give it a thorough refresh; he wanted some distinguished specification changes made to it as well. Porsche Classic also fully overhauled the engine, transmission, and chassis of the Carrera GT. There's no word on how many miles the car had on it before this restoration, but it surely feels as good as new as new now.

The 'Unorthodox' Color Combination

This color made it to Porsche’s palette for the first time in the 1970s. Since the shade has not been in use lately, Porsche had to get involved to recreate it. The wheels also received a customized finish. The color chosen for the five-spoke magnesium alloys was a contrasting shade of gold, with a separate polished rim. Although it may 'sound' weird, it actually looked quite sweet and matched with the Oak green shade. Porsche had to go through some struggles to get this job done. According to the Porsche's Research and Development team, being a single-piece magnesium wheel, polishing the magnesium rim of the wheel would "structurally alter the material" so much that it could be "dangerously weakened", so the team had to come up with its own remedy. Porsche came up with a different solution to paint the wheels - and that was to use silver. This is a process that the company has never used in 'series-vehicle construction' before. The engineers coated the rim of the wheel in silver, which was polished and then coated with a clear lacquer to avoid oxidation.

Everything Restored From Scratch

This green and gold combination continues throughout the car, including the Porsche lettering on the brake callipers, in the engine compartment, and on the intake housings. The factory spent over 350 man-hours sanding and re-lacquering the exterior carbon bits, including the tub, in order to remove the milky finish that had gotten discolored after being exposed to the Ultra Violet rays. On the inside, the owner decided to make changes to the carbon fiber buckets as well, upholstering them with Porsche’s classic houndstooth fabric, offset with a spectacular shade of mulberry leather. The engineers followed the exterior shade mismatch for the steering wheel by corresponding green and gold center-point stitched into the steering wheel. The air vents and interior carbon parts also received attention.

Conclusion

Finally, the result was a fascinating, one-of-a-kind special Carrera GT that stands out from the other Carrera GTs. The car was delivered to the owner at a gathering at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. The cost of the restoration was not revealed, but we are sure it must have burned a hole in the owner's pocket. What are your thoughts on this restoration? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our in-depth review of the 2004-2007 Porsche Carrera GT.