A wild new Manthey kit for the hotshot Porsche adds to its king of the track cred.

WHAT better to buy for one of the most track-ready cars from Porsche than a kit designed to make it even more special on a circuit?

Enhancement is here for one of the sharpest blades in the Porsche 911 drawer, the GT3, in form of a factory-approved kit promising even more circuit cut-through for what is already a keen-edged car.

Manthey is the German tuning and racing company founded in 1996 by former racer Olaf Manthey; it has huge winning credential and specialises in Porsche’s GT fare.

The Manthey Performance kit of the kingpin of the '992.2' updated eighth-generation 911s is developed from that experience.

Bung it on - owners need to consider having to do so literally, there are people for this - and you’re forking out an additional $110k. GST included.

Even though the car has already set its buyer back to the tune of $435,900, assuming it has arrived with no options, that’s still a big bucks spend to conceivably unlock even more belting lap times than the car delivers in factory tune.

Speaking of: One of the big discussion points about the latest GT3 is that it gained no more power from its 4.0-litre flat-six petrol engine, the first time in the GT3's history that the peak output hasn't climbed with a new derivative.

Of course, you’d argue 380kW in 1439kg of car is more than enough punch for anyone's reasonable needs, and while torque is down 20Nm to a peak of 450Nm here, this is a car that still cracks out 0-100kmh in 3.4 seconds in PDK form and roar up to 312kmh. Keep the latter in mind.

Manthey’s gear is all about helping the car carry more of that punch through bendy bits, by delivering significantly more downforce which, as a result, increases cornering speeds.

How much? The car’s aerodynamics are already designed for high downforce as standard. But here the entire underbody has been transformed into a continuous aerodynamic element, so they’re saying an additional 355kg in road mode, rising to 540kg in circuit mode. Which the maker and manufacturer insist, must not be used on public roads.

The kit asks that air deflector elements on the underbody (also known as turning vanes) are extended. The front lip has been redesigned and extended forward by 12 millimetres. Special front diffusor fins in the front underbody and flaps on the car’s sides also increase downforce at the front axle. The rear wing has wider mounts and a Gurney flap. The car also gets carbon-fibre wheel covers.

There’s more. Though Manthey engineers in Meuspath, Germany, front-footed this set-up, everything was undertaken in close collaboration with factory. So, a lot of box ticking and so on with the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach.

The brakes are designed for the particularly high demands of track days and the suspension has been specially adapted, too. It gets a bespoke four-way coilover set up that can be adapted for circuit use. The struts are four-way adjustable, and the rebound and compression can be adjusted without tools. The moderately adjusted spring rates (plus 10 percent on the front axle compared to the predecessor model with the Manthey Kit) contribute to improved handling at the limit and are adapted to the significantly higher downforce values. The optimised circuit suspension increases mechanical grip and makes the car even more stable, especially when driving over kerbs.

Optional are lightweight 20- and 21-inch forged wheels that reduce the unsprung mass by a total of 6kg compared to the standard wheels. They are available in Brilliant Silver, Neodyme and Black (silk gloss). Braided steel brake lines are included. Special racing brake pads for the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system can be secured.

Who would know you’re made a special car even more special? They’ve considered that. Hence also availing are carbon door sill trims with illuminated Manthey lettering, LED door projectors with white Manthey lettering, and the option of applying the Manthey lettering to the doors. Well, you can’t beat a good set of stickers, right?

In addition, the carbon aerodiscs are available in various colours. Tow straps are available for front and rear use on circuit use. These are optionally available in red, black or yellow and can be attached to the designated threaded holes at the front and rear. They must be removed before driving on public roads. In addition, the 911 GT3 can be enhanced with carbon-fibre front air outlets and rear air intakes.

So that’s what it’s got; what does it give?

Well, as said, the GT3’s cited top speed is 312kmh. Porsche and Manthey say the optimal speed for greater effect from the aero is … 285kmh. So, just 27kmh slower than the peak.

You could imagine the GT3 having chance of seeing that on the huge permanent F1-grade circuits in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. And, of course, there’s the unrestricted bits of the autobahn. Plus, it has been proven on the 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschliefe, where with a pro driver at the wheel it lapped almost three seconds faster than the previous Manthey-tweaked equivalent, knocking out very respectable six minute and 52.981 seconds circumnavigation.

All good cred to bring to a circuit in NZ. But also a theoretical for any national layout here, given none are likely suited to level of speed being achieved even momentarily?

So, here it might stand as a bit of a ‘would if it could’ show pony. Which, of course, is entirely normal for this car in this country anyway.