• Delivered new to the United States, where its engine was replaced under warranty by Porsche North America and subject to a Manufacturer Buyback as part of the “Lemon Law”
• Later returned to Germany and reconfigured by Porsche to be compliant for road registration in the country; sold to its second owner by Porsche’s “Factory Vehicle Sales” department in October 2007
• Odometer reads 24,121 kilometres at the time of cataloguing
• Delivered new in desirable GT Silver Metallic over Ascot Brown leather seats; repainted by the second owner in “Lamborghini Reventón” matte grey

The story of Porsche’s now-fabled Carrera GT starts five years before the first production model left the factory. Porsche sought to develop a new Le Mans prototype to replace the venerable GT1, which was powered by a 5.5-litre V-10 engine producing 612 PS with the Carrera GT able to rocket from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.57 seconds towards a maximum speed touching 330 km/h. The model’s six-speed manual transmission was topped by a signature wooden gear knob. However, a change in FIA rules forced the manufacturer to quickly shelve its racing plans while the model was in development.

The German marque remained undeterred and continued forward with plans to make the platform suitable for road use. To attract attention to its stand at the Paris Motor Show in 2000, Porsche displayed a road-going concept alongside other production models. With the concept’s warm reception, combined with additional revenue from the Cayenne, the company decided to go ahead with production. The Carrera GT was first offered for sale in 2004, alongside rivals such as the Ferrari Enzo, Ford GT, and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. It held its own—and more—in what proved to be an incredible year for supercars.

The materials that went into the construction of the Carrera GT were a cut above expectations. By utilising a carbon fibre monocoque and sub-frame, as well as carbon-ceramic brakes, Porsche’s engineers pushed the envelope of what was mechanically possible in order to offer a car that was as light as it was strong. Porsche also designed a three-disc carbon-fibre racing clutch for the car, which measured around 20 centimetres in diameter and was about one-third the size of a normal clutch. Similar attention to detail was applied to nearly every facet of the car. The ultra-lightweight forged magnesium wheels had centre-locking bolts that were colour-coded for each side of the car, ensuring that wrong bolts were never replaced on the incorrect side of the car.

The example offered here was completed by Porsche’s Leipzig factory on 25 February 2004. Finished in GT Silver Metallic over an Ascot Brown leather interior, the Carrera GT was configured with optional extras including bucket seats for driver and passenger, air conditioning, and a Porsche Pro CD-Radio. The car was built to North American (C02) specification as it was bound for the United States—one of 644 cars built for the region, accounting for over half of the Carrera GT production run—with the warranty for its first owner starting on 17 March. On the same day, the car is reported to have been registered for the road in San Mateo, California. An accompanying CARFAX report documents routine servicing through its first year of use, with the odometer reading climbing to 6,247 miles by February 2005.

By the point the Porsche had covered around 9,000 miles (~13,000 kilometres), an oil leak was detected from the engine (as noted by the CARFAX). Porsche North America replaced the engine but eventually the car was denoted as a “Lemon” thus Porsche North America had to reacquire the car by law in August 2006. Accordingly, the Carrera GT was marked with a branded “Lemon” title. The Porsche was subsequently returned to the Porsche factory and converted to German road compliant specification. It has been registered in Germany since October 2007. Buyers are strongly encouraged to check requirements for their intended country of road registration prior to bidding as this car is not eligible for a CoC (Certificate of Conformity).

The car was sold to its second owner in 2007 by Porsche AG’s “Factory Vehicle Sales” department in Zuffenhausen, with the buyer noted as Wittenstein AG in Tauberbischofsheim, Germany. A copy of the sales document denotes the USA delivery specification, engine change at c. 13,000 kilometres, Manufacturer Buyback, and homologation conversion (negating its prior US DOT/EPA compliance). At the time, the odometer was noted to have been recorded at around 14,900 kilometres. The new owner had the car repainted in a shade of matte grey. According to the current owner, the previous owner also owned a Lamborghini Reventón and wanted both cars to be painted in the same colour. The car was then sold to the current owner in 2010, with the car joining an extensive Porsche collection. It has been driven only occasionally and with a temporary dealer licence plate.

In May 2026, the car was sent to Porsche AG in Stuttgart for the replacement of the suspension components in response to a prior recall by Porsche AG. In addition, Porsche AG is performing a service to include replacing the tyres and all fluids per the suggested schedule. Summarised in a Porsche invoice dated 22 June 2026, it was determined that Porsche AG could not ensure the roadworthiness of the car as it requires additional work to the wheels and dampers, while visual inspection detected faults with cabon fibre components including the wing panels, bonnet, tailgate, and rear spoiler. Because the car cannot be offered in roadworthy condition, it is currently ineligible for regulatory TÜV testing, which is required to re-register a car in Germany. As a result, a current German title cannot be secured for this car in anticipation of the auction, and it is offered on its previous, cancelled German registration.

Interested parties should study the most recent works by Porsche in advance of the sale as, at the time of cataloguing, there is a query regarding a warranty-related entry in its service record from 2009. This query takes the form of a “Gesperrt” (block) noted on Porsche’s dealer service network that was placed due to a recorded accident, and the subsequent poor repairs that now deem the car unroadworthy. This invalidated any aspect of warranty at the time and remains noted on the Porsche system.

For the right buyer, given the specifics of its history, the Carrera GT offered here represents an alluring path into ownership for Porsche’s fabled supercar.

Please note, this vehicle was built to conform to North American (C02) homologated technical specification. After an issue was detected in the original engine at around 13,000 kilometres, the engine was replaced and in this period the car was declared as a “Lemon”, thus subject to a manufacturer buyback and had its US title branded accordingly. The car returned to the Porsche factory and was converted to comply with regulations allowing road registration in Germany. In 2009, a “Gesperrt” (block) on this car was noted on Porsche’s dealer service network due to an accident, which then invalidated any aspect of warranty at the time. Potential buyers are encouraged to read the file and description in detail and, most importantly, check requirements for registration in their intended country prior to bidding. A current German registration could not be obtained for this car as it does not have a current TÜV. As such, it is offered with its previous German registration only.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass dieses Fahrzeug gemäß der für Nordamerika homologierten technischen Spezifikation (C02) gebaut wurde. Nachdem bei rund 13.000 Kilometern ein Problem am Originalmotor festgestellt worden war, wurde der Motor ersetzt; in diesem Zeitraum wurde das Fahrzeug als „Lemon" deklariert, unterlag somit einem Rückkauf durch den Hersteller und sein US-amerikanischer Fahrzeugbrief (Title) wurde entsprechend gekennzeichnet. Das Fahrzeug kehrte ins Porsche-Werk zurück und wurde umgerüstet, um die Vorschriften für eine Straßenzulassung in Deutschland zu erfüllen. Im Jahr 2009 wurde im Porsche-Händlerservicenetz aufgrund eines Unfalls eine „Gesperrt"-Eintragung für dieses Fahrzeug vermerkt, die seinerzeit sämtliche Aspekte der Garantie aufhob. Potenzielle Käufer werden gebeten, die Unterlagen und die Beschreibung im Detail zu lesen und, was am wichtigsten ist, die Zulassungsvoraussetzungen für ihr jeweiliges Zielland vor der Gebotsabgabe zu prüfen. Eine aktuelle deutsche Zulassung konnte für dieses Fahrzeug nicht erlangt werden, da es über keinen gültigen TÜV verfügt. Daher wird es ausschließlich mit seiner früheren deutschen Zulassung angeboten.

To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/tc26/.