911 GT3 with Manthey Performance Kit | PH Review

People who really know Porsche know all about Manthey Racing and its unrivalled ability to make 911s faster still. Olaf Manthey only finished his DTM career in 1993, with his eponymous team founded (and its first Porsche Supercup season entered) in 1996; they then proceeded to win four drivers’ and teams’ championships on the bounce from 1997. The first time Manthey entered Le Mans, they won their class. Nobody has won the Nurburgring 24 Hours more than Manthey Racing and its 911s. So when it took to road car work in addition, there was serious interest from the Porsche aficionados; you know, the people who bought GT3s when they were actually hard to sell. Sometimes you’ll find the odd K400 or K410 Manthey 996 in the classifieds, and know it’s lived a good life with a true die-hard. 

Since Porsche’s acquisition of a 51 per cent majority stake in Manthey 11 years ago, followed by the creation of an official partnership in 2021, the roadgoing upgrades have become a bit more prominent. Great news for those wishing to get the most out of their GT car, because the parts can be ordered through the Porsche Tequipment catalogue just like they were the Dog transport box (£452), Pegasus adhesive set (£64) or ‘Born in Flacht’ LED door projectors (£284). A few clicks and a fitting at your local OPC to make a car capable of lapping the Nordschleife in 6:55 feels quite persuasive. 

Or, of course, there’s the option to save a bit of money and time and get a GT3 that’s already had the Manthey Performance Kit fitted. Just like this one, loaned very generously to PH by Alexanders Prestige and currently for sale with fewer than 1,000 miles on the clock. It goes without the Manthey wheels (£9,164.03, if you’re interested) but is most certainly the £53,261.15 (!) real deal, complete with the dramatically enlarged rear wing, aerodiscs like it wants to be a McLaren Speedtail, front carbon flics and meaner ride height on its new suspension. 

Even those with little more than an awareness of fast cars will notice the MR; there’s scant danger of this ever being mistaken for a regular GT3. The wing, of course, is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in that regard, but don’t underestimate the impact of the covered wheels either. Or the tow ropes – nothing says proper track car like being ready to be rescued at any moment. It’s clearly something a little different, while also not trying to be a GT3 RS. Even at a Porsche meet, a 911 this overtly purposeful is going to stand out. 

There’s certainly no doubting its credentials on the road, either. If the standard 992 GT3 might almost be called supple in its ability to smother so much of the surface beneath, a Manthey’d car never feels like anything less than a straight-outta-scrutineering road racer all the time. It’s fizzy and alive from the first turn of the wheel, tauter and keener than what was already one of the more vivid 911 experiences. The coilovers that are equipped as part of the Manthey package play a big part in shaving seconds off lap times, being four-way adjustable without requiring any tools and promising to leave ‘no wish unfulfilled in terms of performance, driveability or comfort.’ Quite the claim even by Porsche standards, though you can sort of see where they’re coming from; there isn’t time in the day to delve into different compression and rebound settings, but even with what seems like even less ride height (and the odd squeak) there’s an uncanny compliance to the ride. You feel more. It’s a busier 911 experience, though never does it seem like an unreasonably compromised or wildly unruly one. It is one with a whole heap more potential to explore on circuit. Still with a nose lift, too. 

The suspension makes its presence known everywhere, basically, in a way that perhaps the standard car may mellow a tad when required. But it’s a Manthey Racing GT3 – go buy a Panamera if you want cushy. The trade-off is ramping up all the great 992 attributes, even on the road, steering with more immediacy and offering up even greater traction. The new pads want a bit of heat to deliver their best, moreover, giving the driver something else to think about and be involved with. Then be really glad for harnesses when it properly stops. Any fears that a Porsche-ification of Manthey may have diluted the product can be dismissed in quite a bit less than six minutes and 55 seconds. 

Nothing about the Performance Kit alters the GT3 powertrain, and that’s absolutely fine – it remains one of the greatest engines and automatic gearboxes of this decade. Even a fleeting experience of the flat-six’s upper reaches will be savoured, such is the joy created by the sound and the response. Plumbed into the chassis workings that are more directly, every sensation just feels that bit amplified. 

This is brilliant, of course, though there is no getting away from the fact that a Manthey Racing GT3 does sacrifice some of the standard car’s usability for that sensation. Don’t say you weren’t told. It’ll be up to buyer preference, and it’s great that this sort of track-honed expertise is more widely available than ever before. A drive out to Spa for a weekend of lapping would be very special indeed, although undoubtedly this GT3 always feels like a car that wants a circuit to show off its very best in a way that a regular car on PASM suspension doesn’t quite. A bit like a GT4 RS in fact, if not in quite such an extreme fashion, the Manthey mods ensure that every single drive (and every single peer back when you’ve parked up) is going to be memorable. They’ve turned the dial even further away from 911 and closer to GT, that’s for sure. 

If that sounds like the GT3 for you, there’s even a small saving to be made. Which can’t have been heard around racy Porsches since the days of those K400s. But this Manthey Racing car is for sale at £220k; an ordinary GT3 or comparable spec and mileage would be about £180,000, and the Performance Kit is £53,261.15 without fitting or transport costs factored in. This isn’t quite a GT3 RS on the cheap – because that’s even more compelling (at another £100,000 currently) – yet Manthey does make the 992 GT3 a proper event to drive at any single opportunity. Just like a race team ought to.   

Engine: 3,996cc, flat-six
Transmission: 7-speed PDK, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510@8,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 347@6,100rpm
0-62mph: 3.4 seconds
Top speed: 198mph
Weight: 1,435kg (DIN)
MPG: 21.7 (WLTP)
CO2: 294g/km (WLTP)
Price: £see text

Huge thanks to Alexanders Prestige for their help with this feature. The PH ad for the GT3 is here, and the full stocklist here.