Incredible Manthey Taycan blows minds, lap times
Take that, Xiaomi: new uber Taycan gets more power and more downforce for astonishing new 'ring time
Porsche doesn’t like to be beaten on the Nordschleife. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Mercedes Black Series or a Xiaomi SU7 that’s taken top spot; second doesn’t suit Stuttgart sports cars. The interloper doesn’t tend to stay top for long (probably the Audi RS Q8 is only allowed its record because there’s a lot of Cayenne underneath). And so it’s true for the Executive cars class of EVs: Porsche thought it had an unassailable record with the Taycan Turbo GT’s 7:07.55, set in 2023. Then along came Xiaomi with its own take on the mega EV saloon, the SU7 Ultra with Track Package, to claim a 7:04.957. And that couldn’t be allowed to stand.
So now there’s this, the Taycan Turbo GT with Manthey Kit - the first such upgrade for a Porsche EV, and the new fastest electric executive car with a 6:55.533 lap. A sizeable advantage over a plain old Weissach Pack, and plenty of clear air to the pesky Chinese contender. Like all your favourite track cars, the Manthey Taycan imposes quite a few compromises on whoever wants to buy one - left-hand drive and special order only, plus built from two-seat Weissach spec - but then if it was easy to go sub-seven at the Nurburgring everyone would be doing it. Heaven knows what it’s going to cost, given the Weissach was already £200k and something like the GT3 Manthey upgrade - which is less extensive - costs £56,000…
This is probably the most comprehensive Manthey Porsche overhaul ever, surely demonstrating just how important reclaiming the record was. While there are the expected brake, aero and suspension modifications (more on those in a sec), there’s also more power for a Turbo GT as well. Yes, really. Thanks to tweaks for the battery, control unit and pulse inverters, 815hp is the new peak output, up from 789 previously, and the 10-second Attack Mode now liberates 993hp rather than 952hp. Handy for the long flat out sections of the Nurburgring, with Lars Kern 9mph faster on his way to Bergwerk this time around than in the regular Weissach. Top speed for this Taycan is 193mph, up from 190mph.
More recognisable for a Manthey Kitted Porsche is a drastic aerodynamic overhaul. The changes certainly aren’t subtle - note the diffuser with extended fins, new rear wing, the aerodiscs, plus the air deflectors underneath that can’t be seen - with a claim of more than three times more downforce than the previous fastest Turbo GT. At 124mph, that means 310kg rather than 95kg, and ‘about 740kg’ at the newly raised top speed. They could have called it the Taycan GT3 RS…
The 21-inch forged wheels use titanium wheel bolts to save further precious unsprung kilos, with a 3kg saving claimed over the regular Weissach machine. The tyres are Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, and the monster ceramic brakes are now even larger - 440mm discs at the front, 410mm at the rear - with Manthey performance pads. An overall kerbweight for the Manthey car hasn’t been shared, though it’s hard to see where much more weight could have been saved from a two-seat Taycan. Getting more than two tonnes (presumably) around in less than seven minutes is some going. While still underpinned by Porsche Active Ride, the Manthey Kit introduces a ‘specially developed driving dynamics set up’ for it as well as the all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. Safe to say this is going to feel tangibly different than even the wild Turbo GT. It wouldn’t be a Manthey Porsche otherwise…
"The Manthey Kit turns the Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package into the ultimate track tool. On the Nordschleife, you can feel how much more stability and confidence the car offers in fast sections and when braking," said Kern. "Thanks to the significantly enhanced aerodynamics, tyres with even greater performance, and increased overboost power available at the touch of a button, we were able to beat our previous best times." As for actually getting one, Porsche says the Manthey package is available as a retrofit on a Weissach Turbo GT, but only in left-hand drive. So if you need the whole car (most likely), it’s a special order deal from Porsche. It’ll probably help get you high up on the RS allocation list, too...
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