There are a multitude of ways to improve your lap times. You can get into the nitty-gritty details of car setup, find some cojones, or simply add more power.
Still not enough? Well, you could sit on a sim rig until your eyes bleed, or seek some expensive nutritionist who is ultimately going to tell you that a 20-nugget chaser with your Big Mac is a bad idea. There is a much simpler way, though: Get your hands on something from Manthey.
For 25 years, Manthey has perfected their race craft at circuits like the Nürburgring Nordschleife, winning the N24 endurance race no fewer than seven times, as well as holding the outright production car lap record together with Porsche (6:43.300) in the ballistic Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance Kit. This partnership with Porsche has seen the pair continue to bring lap times tumbling down, with their latest 911 GT3 (Gen 992) package lapping the ‘Ring in just 6:55.737.
But what about if you’re one of the few people in the world who still needs something even more special? Get ready to pop a couple of brave pills and feast your eyes on one of the wildest track-focused 911s… ever.
Typically when you turn 25, you’ll get a birthday card with some cash in it and a token pair of socks. But what about if you’re Manthey? Well, Porsche Motorsport have something seriously special lined up to celebrate this particular coming of age – the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25. That’s a hell of a name, but this is a hell of a car.
After the merger of Manthey-Racing and Raeder Motorsport in 2013, Porsche AG acquired a 51 per cent stake in the Meuspath team. Since then, the sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart has been running its World Endurance Championship operations, among others, through its majority stake in Manthey. This is also quite handy when you need a chunk of Porsche’s limited-run allocations.
See, you may remember the track-only, race-ready GT2 RS Clubsport from 2018. That mad carbon-clad single-seater retained the GT2’s 691bhp, 3.8-litre bi-turbo flat-six and 7-speed PDK gearbox, was rear-wheel drive, but those rears were shod in 310mm-wide slicks. Only 200 would ever be made, and 30 became the GT2 RS Clubsport 25 pictured here to celebrate Manthey’s anniversary – developed exclusively with Porsche Motorsport. Now that’s what you call an exclusive collector’s item.
What you get is fundamentally quite similar to the Porsche 935 of a few years ago – that being another GT2 RS Clubsport, but in a new, retro cloak. This is the same. But not as obviously retro. Not only is their inspiration from ‘Grello’ – the green and yellow 911 GT3 R synonymous with Manthey at the ‘Ring – but it’s also been perfected by Grant Larson, the Porsche Style Meister responsible for both the 935 and RSR race car designs.
Changes are subtle but effective – the way Porsche and Manthey both like to operate. Check out the new centrally-positioned radiator; that’s pure 911 GT3 R and has its benefits: it harnesses and manages airflow to keep the engine temperature consistent over a hefty wide range of speeds, while the repositioning of the radiator ensures better protection against collision damage. You may also notice the redesigned front apron that features a central inlet to ensure optimal airflow and increase braking performance.
Dig deeper and there are plenty more ‘Grello’ touches aside from the fluro scheme. The double ‘Grello’ flicks on the outside increase downforce on the front axle, while the whole underbody is sealed shut to minimise aero disruption. The new carbon fibre front lid has also been heavily redesigned. Like in the 911 GT3 R, its two large vents (separated by a centre divider) funnel toasty air over the roof to the rear wing. The centrally-positioned NACA duct – combined with the Porsche emblem – supplies fresh air to the carbon-shod cockpit and whoever is getting toasty behind the wheel while slotted in the new FIA-spec welded-in safety cage.
Moving round the back the view is dominated by the trestle table-sized spoiler. New side plates and swan-neck support brackets ensure uninterrupted flow while the whole rear wing forms a unit with the body. Like on the latest 935, this serves as a wrap-around separation edge – an element that distinguished Manthey’s first MR model, which was based on the 996 generation of the Porsche 911. That GT3 R made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999, and promptly won the GT class. If you haven’t noticed, Manthey and Porsche are quite good at winning and do a lot of it.
Being typically fastidious, huge amounts of work went into the design of the massive functional rear diffuser, now providing more aero but also framing a newly-designed exhaust system. The small ventilation openings in the rear lid (below the rear window) help force air circulation in the engine bay. These details are what make the difference. And this car is full of them. Even down to the headlights.
The lamps originate from the Le Mans-winning 911 RSR. However, the four-stripe design went into a deeper state of development, now being even better at lighting tracks – which is the main job of a headlight, so a good thing. More than that, as a space-saving measure, the indicators are now integrated and the whole pod is more aerodynamic.
The 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 features the same suspension and steering components as the modern ‘Moby Dick’ 935, not as standard GT2 RS Clubsport. These altered offsets result in a significantly wider track. While the 935’s 18-inch centre-locking rims are also carried over.
Yes, this does all mean its core is effectively an old-gen 911, but please consult the shopping list of mods before you get salty in the comments.
More than just being an exceedingly competent car, the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 is meant to optimise the relationship between both Porsche and Manthey – taking it to the next level. Teams ins Flacht and Meuspath worked hand in hand to develop the parts and driving character of the car, one that’s inline with Porsche’s Clubsport ethos; that of being easy to use and easy to handle.
“The 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 is the perfect circuit racing car for ambitious private drivers, and it’s an impressive example of engineering skill,” says Matthias Scholz, Porsche’s director of GT Racing Cars.
“It amalgamates the respective strengths of each partner into one racing car, and at the same time bridges the gap between the 991 and 992 model generations of the 911.”
Even though the cars are sold directly by Porsche (yours for 525,000 Euros plus country-specific taxes) the current construction of the 30 vehicles is taking place at Manthey’s Meuspath facility, a shop within spitting distance of the Nürburgring. Like all of Manthey’s race cars, they’re built by hand and subjected to stringent quality and functional testing.
This includes final tests on the race track. Which makes you wonder as cars get faster and faster and lap times continue to tumble, we’re not sure what’s going to wave the white flag first – the insane drivers or the poor strips of tarmac? But it there’s a car for a track to cry mercy, it’s the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25.
Mark Riccioni
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Twitter: markriccioni
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