If you were holding out for a new technically-street-legal supercar that would be slightly faster around most race tracks than a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, but significantly more expensive, stiffer, and seemingly worse in almost every way to drive on the street, Manthey Racing has the car for you. The new Manthey Kit GT3 RS receives a unique aero kit for more downforce, racetrack-optimized suspension, more aggressive brakes and the rear window is swapped out for a shark fin. None of this is done in the name of subtlety. This is a blunt-edged track weapon that most buyers won’t ever have enough skill to operate properly.
If you’re looking for a track-only machine that will improve your skills, you’re definitely better off spending less money to go faster by calling Porsche Motorsport and getting yourself a race-ready GT3 Cup. If, for some reason, you absolutely need to prove your mettle by tracking a street-legal Porsche, then this kind of splits the difference between the GT3 RS and the track-only Cup. You’ll also have to pay around $125,000 above and beyond the standard GT3 RS base price of $241,300.
That bonkers price doesn’t include any increase in power, either, as it’s purely aero, suspension and brakes. The stock 518 horsepower flat-six remains unchanged, which coupled with an increase in downforce and aerodynamic drag means you’ll probably lose some top speed. The standard GT3 RS set a Vmax of 183 miles per hour, so you can bet it’ll be a little less than that. It’ll probably be quicker through every corner on the track, though. Manthey says the new car produces 2,200 pounds of downforce at 177 miles per hour, which I would guess is its new top speed. All of the aero flicks, bigger wings, and carbon “aerodisc” wheel inserts account for just 300 pounds of downforce at those speeds. Is it really worth it?
Manthey and Porsche have not yet released a Nürburgring lap time for the Manthey-kitted car, but you can bet that the new car will be a bit quicker around the Green Hell. The current non-Manthey GT3 RS ran a 6:44.848 lap time back in 2022, which is a long way off the 6:29.090 that Mercedes-AMG set with its One hypercar earlier this year. Porsche will have to really pull out some magic to get anywhere near that car’s time with half the horsepower.
“Over a period of two years, we worked together with Porsche engineers on the new Manthey Kit for the 911 GT3 RS and tested it over several thousand kilometers on European racetracks and on the Nürburgring Nordschleife,” says Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH. “Our data promises a significant improvement in lap times compared to the standard 911 GT3 RS. So far, weather conditions have prevented us from achieving an official lap time on the Nordschleife. We want to make up for this at the next possible opportunity.”
“With the Manthey Kit, the 911 GT3 RS has improved significantly on the racetrack, especially on medium-speed corners,” says Porsche Brand Ambassador Jörg Bergmeister. “The car dives, pitches and rolls even less, offering a much more stable aerodynamic platform. The high contact pressure therefore remains very constant under all driving conditions.”
Ultimately this is a way for people with too much money to spend more than their neighbor to buy a flashy high-tech track machine for Saturday morning cars and coffees. Be careful not to put too many miles on it or you might hurt the car’s long-term value. It’s probably best that you just park this car in your garage and never drive it. Though, if I were buying a car that was going to just sit in my garage, I’d at least want one that looks good.
