Driving a fast car flat-out around a racetrack is almost always fun. But it can also be intimidating, especially when the car wears a Porsche badge and the track is Phillip Island, one of the world’s fastest circuits.
This isn’t any old Porsche, either – it’s the latest 911 GT3 with a box-fresh Manthey Kit fitted.
And today Phillip Island is wet.
So there’s a knot in my stomach as I roll through the circuit gates.
It tightens as I approach the pit building. “Ah, so you’re the journalist” says a passing Porsche mechanic with a devilish grin. Yep, that’s me.
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Garage 14 is my base for the day, and the mood inside is serious. Today marks the local debut of the new Manthey Kit, and a sodden track clearly wasn’t part of the plan.
The car itself, however, appears unfazed by the weather outside. It’s finished in Guards Red with smatterings of carbon-fibre and gold accents, a combination that cuts through the gloom, yet doesn’t fully explain the confident appearance of this particular GT3.
That comes down to the Manthey Kit, which noticeably alters the attitude of the car. First you spot the towering carbon-fibre rear wing, then the low-hanging diffuser and carbon aerodiscs on the rear wheels. Look a little closer and smaller details come into focus, including a slightly pokier front splitter and subtle side canards.
It’s purposeful rather than pretty, though not as extreme as the GT3 RS, which remains the most hardcore showroom 911. Still, every element of the Manthey Kit is designed to shave time from laps that were already impressive to begin with, without sacrificing Porsche’s factory warranty.
Then there’s the stuff you can’t see. Beyond external aerodynamic upgrades, the Manthey Kit also brings four-way adjustable coilover suspension with stiffer front springs, braided brake lines, more durable brake pads, and more efficient underbody aero. All to help the GT3 carry more speed in turns and stop better than before.
Making Porsches faster is something Manthey knows a bit about. First established in 1996 as an independent race team, the company has since become Porsche’s global GT partner, turning lessons from motorsport into performance kits for road-going GT models.
This new kit is already a proven quantity – the 992.2 GT3 with Manthey Kit has lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:50.863, five seconds quicker than the standard car.
But all that know-how doesn’t come cheap – the 992.2 GT3 Manthey Kit costs nearly $120,000 all in… on top of the GT3’s $450k asking price. It’s a niche proposition, then, and the Guards Red car sitting in Garage 14 sports the first package to arrive in Australia.
So, understandably, the Porsche team protects its investment by putting me in the passenger seat for the first track session.
I’m even less inclined to argue when I find out my driver will be Fabian Coulthard, a professional racer with wins in the Supercars Championship and, naturally, Carrera Cup Australia.
As we leave the garage, it’s clear the weather hasn’t improved since I arrived an hour earlier – light rain continues to fall, and the tarmac is a treacherous shade of black.
Nevertheless, we join the queue at pit exit and set off for a circumspect opening lap. Not because Fabian is an especially conservative steerer, but because everything is cold, everything is wet, and there’s no grip.
None.
Turn 1 comes and goes without issue. Southern Loop (Turn 2) is less straightforward. Fabian makes a reasonable steering request that the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres stubbornly refuse, and the Manthey-equipped GT3 slowly slides towards the edge of the track before grip returns. Good thing Porsche didn’t fit the optional, slicker Cup 2 R rubber, then.
The rest of the session follows a similar pattern: fruitless searches for cornering grip interspersed with moments of straight-line relief.
We’re the quickest car out there, but that’s not saying much.
The whole exercise is hardly a showcase of the Manthey Kit’s capabilities, and Fabian’s frustration is palpable. “I can’t get over how slippery it is,” he says on repeat.
After 20 minutes we’re ushered back into the garage, having learned more about the conditions than the car. Lucky we’ve got all day.
By the time Session 2 rolls around, there’s cautious optimism in the air. The rain has subsided, and Porsche’s technical team reckons an extra 4psi in the tyres will help the cause. Still, I’m asked to wait my turn given Fabian’s earlier struggles.
The decision to keep a seasoned pro behind the wheel is quickly vindicated, as the track is still covered in water and Southern Loop hasn’t become any friendlier. Fabian turns in, asks the tyres the same question as before, and gets the same answer, prompting him to let out a loud expletive.
Miller Corner, or Turn 4, is even worse. A tight, slick hairpin at the best of times, today it offers about as much grip as an ice rink.
But as the session progresses, a more trustworthy line starts to form where the circuit is most exposed. It’s there that Fabian begins to feel the effects of the Manthey Kit.
He would know, having driven both versions of the GT3 extensively.
“It’s got way more front-end [grip], it’s so direct,” he says, his tone suddenly more buoyant.
That checks out, as the sharper front aero, revised underbody and stiffer front suspension should correlate with a keener turn-in.
Even so, the Manthey bits can’t dry a racetrack, and Fabian is driving within the limits of both himself and the car. As we wrap up the stint, he shares some words of wisdom for when I eventually take over the reins: “It’s like skiing. When the edges dig in, you know it’s time to pull back.”
Sensible advice. But slightly premature, as it turns out, because I’m once again strapped into the passenger seat for the final session before lunch.
My disappointment is short-lived, however. As the conditions gradually improve, Fabian and the GT3 with Manthey Kit – hardly rolls off the tongue, I know – start to hit their stride. The pace builds, the front-end starts to bite, and we can finally exit the tighter Miller and MG corners without upsetting the rear-end.
With each lap, the confidence grows, and the nagging knot in my stomach starts to loosen.
In a moment, everything changes. Approaching the first sweeping right-hander at 200km/h, we watch a customer-driven 718 Cayman GT4 RS snap sideways under brakes, spin violently, and run backwards along the fence line before sliding across the track and into the gravel.
Remarkably, it avoids the wall. The driver is unharmed, and his pride and joy escapes with little more than a popped tyre and mangled undertray.
The incident is a reality check that sees our third session cut short, and my nerves return stronger than ever.
Excellent timing, then, for Porsche to tell me on the way to lunch that I’m due to steer.
A few reluctant mouthfuls of chicken later, I’m in the driver’s seat with Fabian riding shotgun.
He’s dished out a few tips already, but given the rowdy flat-six behind our heads, he suggests a simpler thumbs-up, thumbs-down tuition system. Works for me.
We set off slowly, and from the big-boy chair I finally start to get a true read on the Manthey GT3. The steering is telepathic, the brakes strong, and the front-end keen to turn now that a dry racing line has emerged.
But with the last session’s incident still fresh in my mind, I’m giving it far too much respect. I’m braking too early, turning in too soon, and Fabian isn’t afraid to let me know.
The same would likely be true if it were a bright, sunny day, because it’s quickly clear the dynamic ceiling of this road-going racer is beyond that of anything else I’ve driven.
As the session progresses, I gradually pick up the pace, beginning to trust that the brakes, tyres and aero will keep me on the blacktop. Much to my relief, they do exactly that. More thumbs up than thumbs down, too.
The reward for increasing commitment through the corners is greater speed out the other side, the GT3’s rear-engined layout loading the driven wheels and firing us towards the next braking zone.
Every full-throttle exit is accompanied by an intoxicating howl from the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat six out back, although Manthey can’t take any credit for that one; its kit doesn’t extend to engine or exhaust tweaks.
With that said, today isn’t necessarily a day for more power. If anything, I’m grateful for the extra downforce generated by Manthey’s aero parts – up to 540kg of it at 285km/h, compared with a maximum of 385kg for the standard GT3.
You feel it most through Phillip Island’s faster sections – Doohan Corner, the uphill run up to Lukey Heights, and the final corner (Turn 12) leading back on to the main straight – where the Manthey GT3 presses itself into the surface, making a damp track feel almost dry.
Better yet, the extra downward pressure doesn’t seem to blunt its straight-line speed. We’re able to pick off other 911s, Caymans, and Taycans with ease.
Of course, just as I’m starting to feel comfortable, the chequered flag waves.
Thankfully, there’s one more session to come. Fabian won’t be joining me, though; he has a plane to catch, so I’m on my own.
A few hours earlier, that would have jangled my nerves, but now, with the clouds parting and the car making sense, it feels like an opportunity.
Finally, the GT3 with Manthey Kit gets a proper chance to prove its point.
And does it ever.
In closer to ideal conditions, the track cred of this thing is undeniable.
Superb mechanical grip and body control help it flow through Southern Loop, while a slight tug of the steering wheel is enough to rotate it around the Miller hairpin. Then it’s straight back to leaning on the tyres through Siberia, not that they complain.
Up at Lukey Heights, the suspension has its moment. Opting to ride the ripple strips, I brace for discomfort that never eventuates. Instead, the GT3 remains flat and composed, absorbing the impact without excessive vertical motion.
In other words, it’s behaving how Manthey intended. The springs are 20 per cent firmer at the front and seven per cent softer at the rear, and the dampers are four-way adjustable for low- and high-speed compression and rebound.
While the extra aero goes a long way to pinning the car to the ground, Manthey’s suspension makes sure it stays there without punishing the driver.
Down the hill into Turn 10, I’m hard on the brakes again. Unsurprisingly, they still work, and they work very well. At the same time, there’s barely any dive from the front-end.
After negotiating the final few corners, it’s time to again see what’s possible down pit straight. With my foot to the floor, the digital speedo quickly climbs past 200km/h and on towards 250km/h.
It’s all very linear, yet relentless, the seven-speed PDK transmission firing through gears the instant I pull a paddle. I’m hesitant to do so, though, such is the euphoria of letting the non-turbo flat-six scream all the way to its bonkers 9000rpm redline.
Brilliant as the engine is, it takes a back seat here. That may sound ridiculous in a 911 GT3, but the straight-line performance of the Manthey doesn’t stand out as much as its handling.
Just want to go fast? Buy a dual-motor EV. A Chevrolet Corvette Z06 or Lamborghini Temerario will pull harder, too. Yet, there aren’t many combustion cars, let alone EVs, that inspire this much confidence.
Because even after several laps, every element of the Manthey GT3 is encouraging me to push just as hard, if not a little harder. Performance is repeatable – there’s no fade from the stoppers, no obvious drop-off from the rubber at each corner, and no sense that the car needs a rest, bar a rapidly depleting fuel gauge.
As it turns out, I show signs of fatigue first, missing a string of apexes before the marshals call time. I climb out as a spent, smiling, satisfied mess. The Porsche has barely broken a sweat.
Today has been far from a perfect showcase of the Manthey Kit, nor the cleanest basis for comparison with the standard GT3. The wet laps showed that even Manthey can’t engineer its way around a slick surface.
They did, however, prove that with some grip to lean on, this track-ready 911 can make a nervous journalist feel like a proper racer.