It wouldn’t be unreasonable to drive a 992-generation 911 GT3 RS, on your favourite B road or on a sub-seven-minute lap of the Nordschleife, and conclude that it was beyond much meaningful improvement. But that’s not really how Porsche, much less Manthey Racing, likes to operate - so now there’s a new upgrade package to ‘further enhance the on-track performance of this top-of-the-range sports car.’
A literal tonne of downforce is the headline figure (more than 1,000kg, in fact), achieved at 177mph, up from 860kg as standard. In a roadgoing, warrantied 911. It’s been achieved with a massively overhauled aero package, to the extent that this GT3 RS doesn’t even have a rear window; a carbon panel is 25 per cent lighter, so that’s what’s there now. Complete with a wild shark fin inspired by the 963 Hypercar. And six additional roof fins, to enhance stability - and divert the hot rad air away from the intakes. Manthey suggests that the rear spoiler lip has been ‘significantly enlarged’, which undersells it a tad, and it comes complete with the ginormous new end plates. The diffuser is larger for more downforce though doesn’t impact drag, the latter further reduced by the aerodisc wheels covers. At the front end (assuming you’ve made it from that outrageous rear) benefits from redesigned dive planes, spoiler lip and wheelarch Gurney flaps.
To account for even more downforce than standard, a fully Manthey’d GT3 RS gets 30 per cent more spring rate up front and 15 per cent extra on the rear axle. There are new dampers as well, which feels a tad extreme for a car as sorted as the RS, but then making the best better wasn’t going to be achieved by small measures. There are now four wheel and three body acceleration sensors and a new control unit for the semi-active coilovers, meaning even faster and more precise damper tuning than previously. All while retaining the Normal, Sport and Track modes of the stock car; they will have their parameters for the pair of valves there for compression and rebound, with Track still enabling further manual adjustment via the rotary dial.
While a Manthey Kit for the GT3 RS doesn’t make it accelerate any faster - at least not through any extra power - it will stop with even greater conviction. For those cars that escaped the OPC without ceramic discs, there are new steel lines for ‘even more direct pedal feel and a faster response time’. Those cars with PCCB are treated to even racier pads that are said to better resist fade on a track day, plus offer improved wear resistance. Jorg Bergmeister reckons that the RS has been “improved significantly on the racetrack, especially on medium speed corners”, thanks to the Manthey Kit. “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”, he added. Apparently they’ve spent two years on the Nordschleife making this upgrade and, before you ask, yes - there will be a lap time. It’s more than likely going to be a chunk quicker than the regular 6:49.328. But it won’t come until the weather is a bit better.
For now, eager customers can think about additional personalisation on top of all the performance-enhancing goodies. A GT3 RS can be even more Manthey with LED door projectors, illuminated sill guards, decals on the aerodiscs, door lettering and a towing eye. Probably only the last one of those will be useful. But Porsche does love an optional extra, almost as much as its customers do, so as a majority shareholder in Manthey it was always likely to offer a few more bits on top of the track enhancement.
Don’t go getting too carried away, however, as just the kit alone is a hundred grand. No, really - it’s on sale today, at Porsche Centres in the UK and Ireland, from £99,999.00. It’s not clear yet whether that includes fitting. Deliveries are expected from Jan, so it should be equipped in time for the 2025 track day season. And the warranty remains unaffected, which is cool. But with used 992s still commanding a quarter of a million, anyone without a GT3 RS is looking at at least £350k for a car with the kit. For maximum tourist day bragging rights, though, nothing’s going to compare…
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