There is no shortage of cool and fast supercars to choose from, with everything from exotic European efforts from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, to the fascinating homegrown models which stem from lesser-known automakers, such as the fabulously rakish Vector W8 -- one of the most expensive car flops of all time. Still, some models wow their owners and the public alike so much, they enter a different realm of appreciation, and regularly command insane seven-figure sums when they change hands.
The McLaren F1 and Ferrari F40 are fine examples of this, and, more recently, so is the Porsche Carrera GT.
This rear mid-engine, V10-powered, six-speed-manual-equipped drop-top supercar is truly one of the greatest automobiles to have risen from the '00s, and collectors are now scrambling to get hold of the very best examples, and paying small fortunes in doing so. While we all know and love the Carrera GT by now, it may surprise many to hear that the famous rear mid-engine recipe of this iconic supercar was very nearly quite different.
When visiting Porsche's Zuffenhousen factory, actor Adrien Brody chatted with Porsche's director of special projects, Grant Larson, who happened to have some very interesting sketches to hand. The sketches revealed a design penned in 1999, of a mid-engine, tin-top, V10-powered Porsche which sported more than just a passing resemblance to the Carrera GT that would follow just a few short years later.
Read more: 10 Of The Fastest Non-Supercars In The World, Ranked By Top Speed
A Closer Look At The Would-Be Mid-Engine Porsche Carrera GT
The video linked above shows Grant Larson revealing the sketch, albeit only briefly, to Adrien Brody. While very little is revealed about the Porsche, which features around 14 minutes in, by the way, Grant does tell us that he was asked by Gustav Achleine -- the project manager at the time -- to put pen to paper and play around with some ideas for a mid-engine V10 supercar. This particular sketch hails from 1999, therefore pre-dating the production Carrera GT by four years.
While Grant doesn't confirm this directly in the video, it is possible to see a connection between his sketch and the 911 GT1, which had only just finished production by this point. We use the word 'production' loosely here, as with only 40 made between both race and street versions, this was one of the rarest Porsche models ever made, and hardly a typical production model. Between the GT1 racer and Larson's sketch, similarities exist, namely the sweeping roofline, sculpted rear bumper, and what looks like a roof-scoop too -- although the GT1's is much more pronounced.
What resulted was one of the most loved and iconic cars of the 2000s, and despite only recently hitting 20 years old, prices have exploded, so it's clear that Porsche got the final recipe for their flagship supercar correct. However, we can't help but wonder if there was room in the Porsche line-up for this mid-engine coupe supercar also, as a limited hard-top alternative to the wind-in-the-air Carrera GT experience.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
