Manthey-Modified Porsche 911 GT2 RS (The Previous-Gen Car!) Topples C8 Corvette ZR1's Road Atlanta Time

When Porsche breaks out the Manthey kit, you know it's out for blood. The Germans must have had a bad taste in their mouth, after two American brands beat their Nürburgring records: the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X and Ford Mustang GTD. So Porsche needed to strike back, and it did so on its rivals' home turf. Rather than take the fight back to the 'Ring, Porsche hooked a 2019 911 GT2 RS up with a Manthey Racing performance kit, which upgrades the aero, suspension, and brakes, and brought it to Road Atlanta to beat the Corvette ZR1's production car lap record with an official time of 1:22.649. 

OK, OK, so the 911 GT2 RS isn't currently in production anymore, but the Manthey kit was available for the car when it was new, but it can also be added to a GT2 RS later on. So existing 991 GT2 RS owners can go to a Porsche dealer, upgrade their car with this very kit and go ZR1 hunting. Sure, with the cost of the car and the kit, your'e in the hole for almost double the cost of a new ZR1. And the Manthey GT2 RS only beat the ZR1 by two tenths of a second. But still, not bad for a car that's a few years older and down more than 300 horsepower.

If you have oodles and oodles of money and care little about your spinal integrity, the Manthey kit will make your hardcore, already track-ready Porsche to even more hardcore and track ready. For a whopping $113,140 on top of the $294,250 base price of a GT2 RS, you can have a record-breaking setup that's capable of taking on the world's best sports cars. What it won't buy you is the driving skill of Porsche's in-house pro-racer Jörg Bergmeister, who was behind the wheel for the record lap, so results will vary.

The Manthey kit brings a three- and four-way adjustable damper setup (three-way up front, four-way out back), braided brake lines, and a ton of carbon-fiber aero parts including a massive rear wing, carbon front hood, and aero disks to cover the rear wheels. The powertrain remains the same, though, so it's still a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six with 700 horsepower and 528 lb-ft of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch PDK handles the shifting and only the rear wheels manage the power. Of course, the stickiest Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 tires were used. 

"Even almost 10 years after its introduction, the power delivery of the twin-turbo flat-six engine is still thrilling," Bergmeister said. "The enhancements to chassis and increased amount of downforce allowed me to carry speed deep into the corners and accelerate early, giving me great confidence — which is also a benefit for regular drivers who take to the track."

Compare the Manthey GT2 to the ZR1's twin-turbo V8 with 1,064 horsepower and 828 lb-ft of torque, and the Porsche clearly had to win with lighter weight, precision, and handling prowess. While the ZR1 certainly isn't lacking for downforce (its rear wing can generate up to 1,200 pounds of it) or precision, Bergmeister credits the GT2 RS' aero and suspension for the new record. "Its cornering speeds are on a par with GT-class race cars. The suspension soaks up shocks from kerbs really well and helps to extract the maximum potential from this impressive package."

So Porsche took its Road Atlanta record back from Chevy, in Chevy's home country. Now will Porsche head back to the Nurburgring to see if it can reclaim that record, too?