Manthey Kit GT3 RS delivers 'astonishing' lap time
We're getting used to Nordschleife laps under seven minutes - not this far under, though...
In what will come as no surprise whatsoever, the latest Manthey Performance Kit for the latest 911 GT3 RS has made the fastest naturally aspirated car around the Nordschleife even faster still. It wasn’t that long ago (or so it can feel) that the 918 Spyder going under seven minutes was a fast car benchmark; these days its 6:57 is being matched by Mustangs…
The magic number is 6:45.389, a number Porsche describes as ‘astonishing’ and which it seems pretty hard to quibble with. Remember the GT3 RS is just 525hp and 347lb ft strong, lapping faster than the very best turbo V8s on offer from AMG and Corvette. (The latter used test drivers rather than racers for their lap, but still - it’s flipping fast). There are obviously huge sections of the Nordschleife lap that are wide open throttle, demonstrating just what an advantage the RS has in the corners. And how’s this for progress: this new lap time is just a couple of seconds off the 6:43.300 set by the old 991 GT2 RS with Manthey Kit. Which had 700hp…
As has been mentioned so much since the launch of the 992 GT3 RS, it’s the aerodynamic changes that have made such a big difference to lap times. That’s obviously upgraded further with the £100,000 Manthey Kit, bringing a literal ton of downforce at 177mph with that 963-style fin while not impacting drag. You can see the effect during the lap, with unerring composure through the really fast stuff. Porsche suggests that in ‘the sections Flugplatz and Mutkurve, the performance of the 911 equipped with the Manthey Kit is comparable to that of a race car on slick tires.’ Only one that could be driven home again. The brake changes - pads and lines, Porsche GT brakes tend to be pretty good - were said to ‘enable later braking points while providing better pedal feedback and consistent friction characteristics across a wide temperature range.’ Certainly that tallies with our own experience of the Manthey machine at Monza, a car that takes all that was so good about the GT3 RS and makes it just that little bit better still.
Jorg Bergmeister was on driving duty, and said of the lap: “I'm glad it finally worked out. We put so much work into the lap time that it was simply time for the weather to play along. The car was perfectly prepared, and I'm really happy with the lap. It's truly amazing how much you can achieve with the Manthey kit, especially on the fast and medium-speed sections of the track.” Therefore, while this must rank as one of the most expensive track upgrades ever for the gains on offer - remember a standard RS did 6:49.328, so let’s call it £25k a second - it’s easy to imagine one or two eager customers signing up. After all, who wouldn’t want the fastest GT3 RS ever made? Especially if you could make one with a Sonderwunsch interior…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwoEo7RmMFk
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