911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance Kit: the fastest road car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife
Great Britain. Porsche has set a new lap record for road-approved production cars on the 12.9 miles (20.8 km) Nürburgring Nordschleife in a 911 GT2 RS fitted with the Manthey Performance Kit. The best time of 6:43.300 minutes was achieved on 14 June, in the presence of a notary, with Porsche development driver Lars Kern at the wheel of the 700 PS (515 kW) 911 GT2 RS.
The new Performance Kit was developed as part of a close collaboration between Porsche engineers in Weissach and the Manthey Nordschleife specialists in Meuspath.
Previous record for production vehicles beaten by 4.747 seconds
The plan was to beat the existing 6:48.047 road car record. Kern achieved this with flying colours at the wheel of the 911 GT2 RS, beating the previous time by 4.747 secs on road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres, at an average speed of 115.5 mph (185.87 km/h).
“Our GT customers often use their cars on circuit, such as on track days,” says Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Model Lines 911/718. “The engineers at Manthey and Porsche have together developed a perfectly tuned package that allows the 911 GT2 RS to deliver even higher performance."
Lars Kern broke the record despite high-summer conditions and a track temperature of 41 degrees. “The 911 GT2 RS sticks to the track like glue with the Manthey Performance Kit – you feel as if you’re in a racing car, especially on faster corners. It is truly breathtaking how the car puts its 700 PS down, and how incredibly well it brakes while always remaining easy to control,” says Kern.
Components precisely matched to one another
The Manthey Performance Kit from Porsche Tequipment consists of chassis, aerodynamic and brake components specially developed for the 911 GT2 RS. It also includes the light magnesium alloy wheels of the Weissach Package.
“The individual components of the Performance Kit are precisely matched to one another. They only become fully effective when they are all installed together. As a result, the kit is currently only available as a whole package. Individual offerings are being evaluated,” says Alexander Fabig, Vice President Individualisation and Classic at Porsche AG.
At first glance, the aerodynamic components are an obvious modification. Additional flaps on the front spoiler increase downforce on the front axle in combination with a carbon underbody and additional air guide elements around the front wheels. Downforce increases from 49 to 70 kilograms at 124 mph, and on the rear axle from 93 to 200 kg at the same speed. This is made possible thanks to a new rear spoiler, a modified diffuser and aero-discs on the rear wheels.
“We are proud that Lars Kern was able to improve the lap time of the 911 GT2 RS in this way thanks to the Performance Kit, developed together with Porsche and optimised in many areas,” says Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey-Racing GmbH.
The track-optimised coil-over suspension benefits from the many years of motorsport experience at Porsche and Manthey. The front shock absorbers can be adjusted to three different settings and there are four settings on those at the rear. Special racing brake pads for the PCCB ceramic brake system reduce fade, while improving responsiveness and control precision. Steel-encased brake lines ensure even more direct pedal feedback. The magnesium wheels, 20-inch diameter at the front and 21-inches at the rear, offer an 11.4 kg weight saving and are available in Brilliant Silver, Black, Aurum, White Gold Metallic and Platinum.
An additional water tank for spray-cooling of the intercoolers increases overall volume by approximately nine litres, thereby increasing the time between refills.
“With these newly developed parts, we have made an extremely good car even better. The 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance Kit is perfectly tailored to the needs of those customers who like to take their cars on track, especially the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This 6:43.330 time for the whole lap is equivalent to 6:38.835 for the old shorter variant, so makes a real statement,” explains Andreas Preuninger, Vice President GT Cars.
The Manthey Performance Kit by Porsche Tequipment is available to order now from Porsche Centres for customers in Europe. Availability from Porsche Centres in the UK will follow at a later date. In addition, a Porsche Approved Warranty can now be purchased for every Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance Kit.
