Press tests are always part of the procedure for all car manufacturers when they release a new model. They get several production or preproduction versions of the given car, and toss the keys to journalists for the chance to give a review on the car, be it written or video. Presently, reviews in the video format have proved more popular than written ones. All it takes is pulling out an electronic device and navigating to a recognized video page like YouTube and voila, you have a lot of car reviews at your disposal.

Now, most of these reviews mostly consist of a given journalist(i.e Chris Harris, Jeremy Clarkson, etc) driving the car on a track or road and giving their personal opinion on the car, which is totally fine by all means. Every once in a while, however, we get treated to a review in which not only is there opinions on the car, but also a proper demonstration of what the said car can do, and this is what this video is all about.

On a review of the Carrera GT that appears to be filmed back in 2003-4, Tim Schrick takes a preproduction model (note the “0000” in the area where the car’s production number would be) and tests its capabilities in the German mountain roads. He does so by performing aggressive launches with the car(you can likely say he mastered the car’s unusual clutch), and power sliding it around roads that leave very little room for error(you can see Tim cutting the grass a couple of times). Now, the video itself is in German, but it is not necessary to understand what is being said to appreciate this video.

I’ve previously written about the Carrera GT in a previous post. It is a car coveted by many as one of Porsche’s greatest, if not best achievement in the 70+ years that they have been building road cars. Powered by a V10 that screams all the way to 8500rpm, it is a symphony on its own when the car is properly driven, as seen when Tim dumps the clutch when launching the car. Lacking driving aids means that an attempt to push the car can prove risky for inexperienced drivers, making Mr.Shrick a brave man indeed by taking the plunge and proceeding with driving quick. Personally, If I ever own or get the opportunity to drive one of these raw machines, I would drive “normally. That means to flooring the gas pedal, no playing around with the steering, and last but not least, being gentle with that ceramic clutch. If I find driving the car too easy, however, then maybe my driving style with the car would get kicked up a notch.

This is a video that I personally consider to be a classic, my reasoning being that most Carrera GTs today are mostly bought as garage queens which are only driven gently for a couple of blocks or to dealership servicing(if they even get serviced that is), so it gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to drive the car as Porsche meant it to be. With respect to these reviews, I don’t believe that the fact that it is done by a well-known journalist or YouTube channel guarantees that it will be one of the best, as it is not the case of this Carrera GT video. It shows that even the least known journalists can produce masterpieces, and that is what Tim Shrick achieved here. You can expect to see more posts about old videos in the future, and I do have a lot of them which I would like to discuss as they have critical acclaim within the Porsche community.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu