There’s something so satisfying about seeing the Nurburgring street-car crown returned to its rightful owner. In this constant headline-snagging battle between the major sports car marques, it’s only fair that Porsche enjoys some more time at the top of the pile after dethroning the Lamborghini Aventador SV-R, courtesy of specialists Manthey Racing. Though it uses a few modified parts, it’s really more a maximized version of the stock car—and maximized by a few people who know the Nurburgring well.
With experience from running Porsche’s 911 RSR GTE effort in the World Endurance Championship, as well has hundreds of hours of racing experience at the Nurburgring, this talented outfit knows how to refine an already capable chassis in Porsche’s hardest road car to better handle the Green Hell.
As Manthey Racing is based at the Nurburgring, they get plenty of time to develop the suspension to soak up the undulations and pockmarks of the 12.9-mile course—hence their revised coilovers and their magnesium wheels to trim unsprung weight. Better brake pads and reinforced brake lines complete the modifications to the footwork. Mechanical grip is so important at a place like the ‘Ring.
However, even for a circuit as busy as the Nurburgring, aerodynamic gains play a big role. Obviously, the rear wing has been modified with taller supports to generate a little more downforce at the rear axle, which is balanced by the not-so-subtle canards up front.
The canards, revised wing, and magnesium wheels are the only visual differences between the tuned car and the original.
Interestingly, the powerplant hasn’t been touched—at least directly. The one modification made in regards to power is the secondary water reservoir for the intercooler sprayer. This ensures the engine’s full potential is available for longer, through the total output hasn’t changed from the stock figure.
Those few modifications, Lars Kern’s ability behind the wheel, and a friendly balance allowed the Manthey Racing GT2 RS MR cover the Nordschleife some seven seconds faster than the stock version on its first attempt. Bear in mind Kern’s first shot was made as twilight was dwindling, which shows you how capable the already-confidence-inspiring GT2 RS becomes with a few intelligent tweaks to the chassis and aerodynamics.
Manthey’s upgrade package has not been offered to the public yet, but it should in due time—complete with more specifics on the modifications made. Of course, if their other products are anything to go by, it won’t be cheap—but it will yield what is arguably the best all-around production-based sports car on the ‘Ring today.