Nine. Carrera. GTs. Welcome to the first-ever CGT Rally.

Yes, you read that correctly. Nine. Porsche. Carrera. GTs.

Seeing one Carrera GT on a public road at any given time is cause enough for whiplash, let alone nine of them. To our knowledge, this year’s was one of the largest gatherings of the legendary Porsche Carrera GT (CGT) to date, which is why we were stoked to partner with our friend Jimmy Prountzos of Junipero Serra Porsche and Mercedes Benz and Luxury Rally Club and to experience one of the greatest Porsches ever made attacking some of Northern California’s most scenic backroads.

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Photo courtesy of Carrera GT Rally

The Carrera GT Rally was centered around the driving roads in Napa, with multi-day drives venturing through technical switchbacks and open sweepers that put the CGT through its paces in a variety of driving scenarios. The result: a symphony of ninety cylinders and 5,427 horsepower thundering through coastal roads and mountain passes. Suffice it to say that the hills were very much alive with the sound of music.

Pit stops ranged from local institutions like The Marshall Store oyster shack to the prestigious culinary powerhouse, French Laundry. At each stop, the parking lots — filled with Carrera GTs in every original factory color: Basalt Black, Seal Grey, GT Silver metallic, and Guards Red — became a traffic hazard as passersby did a double-take.

Photographed by Naveed Yousefzai and Shayan Bokaie

We spent some seat time during the rally riding shotgun with our pal and vintage racer, Dave Hagan, who needed no prodding when it came to demonstrating why the CGT is so revered. In today’s car world, acceleration is easy to find. It is, however, rare to find that unmistakable V10 soundtrack paired with a trusty six-speed manual transmission. And unlike many of today’s supercars, packed full of driver aids, the Carrera GT hails from an era that demanded the absolute best from its companion behind the wheel. This is not, in short, a car for the faint of heart — and that's precisely why we love it.

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Photographed by Naveed Yousefzai

The Marqued team was thrilled to be involved and already looking forward to the next edition. If we may put in one request for the next CGT rally, however, it’s this: why stop at nine Carrera GTs?

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Photo courtesy of Carrera GT Rally

Meet our contributors

As an avid driver and collector, photographer Naveed Yousufzai (@eatwithnaveed) captures California's car culture from a true enthusiast's point of view for various automotive publications.