Luxury Insider

The cabin is no less impressive. Using lightweight magnesium for components like the dashboard structure and center console pressings, it is designed to look and feel ultra-modern in a minimalist sort of way, and there is even a satellite-navigation system built into the dashboard at the top of the center console. The race-style seats hold you securely, and of course Porsche will tailor the padding to suit an individual client.

When you pay nearly 500,000 euros for a car, you expect bespoke components right down to the last switch and button, and that is the case here. We searched hard to find bits from other cars in the Carrera GT and came up with just five. The steering wheel and its crash-absorbing column are from the 911 Turbo (996), the glovebox lock and front bonnet latch are 911, and the plastic fuel filler cap is a generic mass produced item. Unfortunately, Porsche did not make a bespoke alloy filler cap like Aston Martin and Ferrari.

Some supercars are cramped, but Porsche has the very tall, former World Champion rally ace Walter Rohrl as its chief test driver, so anyone up to six foot six should be okay. Between the telescoping steering column and a huge range of fore and aft seat movement, we easily found our perfect driving position.

The gear lever is mounted higher than most people are used to, but as any race driver will tell you, having the lever closer to the steering wheel is good news when you are driving fast. The wooden topped gear knob is a historical reference to the Porsche 917 Le Mans racecar, which had a wooden knob to save weight. Any customer who does not like it can have a knob made from aluminum or carbon-fiber.

In the Porsche tradition, the ignition key is to the outside of the steering column, and the key itself is unique: the ‘GT’ script on its surface lights up when you press the door open or lock button.