The car was built around a very light spaceframe chassis (42 kg (93 lb)) which was permanently pressurised with gas to detect cracks in the welded structure. Power came from a new 4.5 litre air cooled engine designed by Hans Mezger. The ‘Type 912′ engine featured a 180° V-engine layout, twin overhead camshafts driven from centrally mounted gears and twin spark plugs fed from two distributors. The large horizontally mounted cooling fan was also driven from centrally mounted gears. The longitudinally mounted gearbox was designed to take a set of four or five gears.

To keep the car compact despite the large engine, the driving position was so far forward that the feet of the driver were beyond the front wheel axle.

The car had remarkable technology: Porsche’s first 12-cylinder engine, and many components made of titanium, magnesium and exotic alloys that had been developed for lightweight “Bergspider” hill climb racers. Other methods of weight reduction were rather simple, such as making the gear shift knob out of Balsa wood.

Notable technology includes a pure carbon fiber monocoque and subframe, dry sump lubrication and inboard suspension. The carbon fiber monocoque and subframe were produced and assembled by ATR Composites Group of Italy. The spoiler of the Carrera GT extends into the air when the car reaches about 70 miles (110 km) an hour and evens out the air flow, which causes less drag. The Carrera GT radiator is about five times the size of a 911 Turbo’s. Front and rear suspension consist of pushrod activated shock absorbers and dampers with front and rear anti-roll bars.