Why is the GT3 considered to be the best 911?

For most 911 enthusiasts, their eyes go faint and wondrous whenever they hear a new GT3 is on the way. It occurred 26 years ago with the launch of the first GT3, and it happened again last year with the latest variant. This is mostly due to the GT3's recipe. A signature large rear wing at the back, a roll cage inside and race seats inside, a carbon-fibre and aluminium body, wishbone suspension and power from a naturally aspirated 9000rpm screaming Flat-6.

The latest 992.2 GT3 is believed by many to be the final encore, hence why Porsche have clearly gone to town with this one. On the face of it, it looks identical to the 992.1, it's available as both a standard Wing and a touring and even features the same 9000rpm, 518 horsepower and 342 lb-ft torque 4.0l Flat-6. 0-62mph is an identical 3.5 seconds and the top speed is either 198mph for the Wing car or 200mph for the Touring.

It even still has the option to still go PDK or manual. However, Porsche have made subtle changes such as new headlights, a new digital rev-counter, shorter gearing and options never previously available. Now the Touring is available with four seats and one can speck the GT3 as a Weissach car for the first time.

The History of Manthey and Porsche

Manthey have had a long history of developing Porsches, they work hand in hand with the engineers in Meuspath, right next to the Nürburgring. The goal of the company has always been to improve lap times without compromising the engineering, build quality or warranty at Porsche. In fact, they do such a good job, you can go right to your Porsche centre and order a Manthey kit for your GT 911.

The Manthey Kit GT3

Clearly, though, the engineers at Manthey felt the new GT3 could do even better around the Nürburgring, hence why there’s now a new Manthey Kit for the car. The underbody is redesigned with larger turning vanes, a sealed floor, and a new luggage compartment cover that channels air more efficiently. The front splitter grows by 12 mm, while new canards help the nose bite harder into corners.

At the rear, everything gets bigger and meaner. The wing is wider, the endplates curve inward, and the gurney flap adds even more stability at high speed. Pair all of this with the revised diffuser fins, and you get a serious leap in downforce. At 177mph, Manthey’s engineers say the GT3 will develop 355 kg of downforce in road mode and 540 kg of downforce in track mode.

Manthey have even tuned the Chassis of the GT3. The coil overs are now adjustable in four directions, and one can tweak compression and rebound without tools, meaning drivers can dial the car in for different circuits in minutes, not hours. Spring rates rise by 10% at the front, for better turn-in and the brakes have been changed from carbon ceramic to braided steel to improve pedal feel.

That being said, Manthey still offers ceramic brakes for those going to track days. They’ve even fitted optional forged wheels, which remove 6kg from the weight and feature Carbon-fibre aero discs to give that motorsport vibe. Owners can even spec carbon side sills, illuminated door projectors, or coloured aero discs. Truly, what Manthey have created is a GT3 unplugged and unrestrained.

Nürburgring Performance Gains with the Porsche 911 GT3 Manthey Kit

And all those benefits really came into their own at the GT3’s natural home, the Nürburgring. The standard GT3 Weissach lapped last year with an impressive 6:51.76. But with the new Manthey kit, it lapped in 6:50.70, on a wet track no less, a whole 1.06 seconds faster and not that much slower than the Manthey Kit GT3 RS. Porsche works driver Ayhancan Güven handled the run, and even he said there was more time available on a dry

day.

But that’s impressive considering once you’ve finished clowning around, you can drive the Manthey GT3 home. The car will be available from March 2026 to order through your local Porsche dealers, and this has really caused a conundrum. As we know, a new GT3 RS is in the works, but with the impressive gains of the Manthey Kit GT3, one has to question if the hardcore and brutal RS is really necessary. We’ll just have to wait and see.

F1rstMotors Facts and Figures

Manufacturer	Porsche AG with Manthey Racing
Model	911 (992.2) GT3 Manthey
Year of Release	2026
Engine	4.0l Flat-6
Horsepower	518 horsepower
Torque	342 lb–ft
0–62mph (100km/h)	3.4 seconds
Top Speed	198mph (319 km/h)
Weight	1,439kg (1.4 tonnes)
Power to Weight	350 hp per tonne
Gearbox	7–speed Dual Clutch
Driven Wheels	Rear Wheel Drive

Source: Porsche