Back in December Manthey Racing announced a new track pack for the 992-generation GT3 which would help improve its lap times at the race track. The kit included a slew of aerodynamically-effective bodyparts, suspension tweaks, track-ready brake pads, and a set of lightweight forged wheels with drag-reducing aerodiscs on the rear. Obviously the GT3 is already pretty intense when it comes to on-track performance, but if there is any company that knows how to make a car fast around the Nürburgring, it’s going to be Manthey. And the package was jointly developed with Porsche Motorsport engineers in Weissach. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, because the Manthey-kitted GT3 managed an impressive 6:55.737 lap time around the Nordschleife last week, making it exactly 4.19 seconds quicker than a standard GT3 on the same Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires and factory racer Kevin Estre at the wheel.
Manthey Racing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche, and this upgrade package is now available through Porsche’s Tequipment, meaning you can order it from your local dealer’s parts department. The kit includes a deeper front splitter and cannards, as well as modified underbody airguides to increase downforce at the front of the car. To balance that, the rear of the car gets a wider rear wing with a more pronounced Gurney flap and larger endplates, as well as a much deeper carbon fiber diffuser. The new forged wheels are about four pounds per corner lighter than the factory GT3 wheels, which means unsprung weight is down by over 16 pounds. Speaking of springs, the Manthey kit includes a KW-engineered set of four-way adjustable coilovers with stiffer front and softer rear spring rates, meaning the car is more aggressive when driven at the limit. As for the brakes, you’ll get a set of more aggressive brake pads and steel braided reinforced flexible lines for each corner of the car.
The extra downforce and lighter wheels mean the car is able to carry more speed through each of the Nürburgring’s 160 corners. Even a fraction of a mile per hour quicker in each of those corners adds up to an impressive four point one-nine seconds faster lap. Obviously there’s no way the average GT3 driver can take advantage of that extra downforce and suspension adjustment, but pro-driver Kevin Estre clearly can. Will the Manthey kit make a lick of difference for you at your local track day? I highly doubt it. But it’ll look cool as hell doing it.