Manthey Racing Debuts Two Legendary Porsche Models, Limited to 15 Each

Call it 30 for 30, if you'd like. Manthey Racing—which has spent 30 years in motorsports pushing to make cars like the Porsche 911 GT3, and more recently even the Taycan Turbo GT, set production-car records at tracks such as the Nürburgring—have launched the two limited-production race cars shown here: the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup MR 30 and the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30.

Just 15 examples of each will be built, conveniently adding up to 30 cars for Manthey’s 30th birthday. Both cars will blow out their candles at their public debut at the DTM finale at the Hockenheimring in Germany, as Porsche announced earlier this week that it has increased its stake in Manthey to 67 percent to “further expand its presence in the performance segment for both racetrack and road, beyond its own GT models.”

A Bigger Flat-Six

The more substantial transformation starts with the 911 GT3 Cup MR 30. They started with a 992.1 chassis—because 992.2 Cups are still being built for race teams—and increased the displacement of the water-cooled flat-six to 4.2 liters, raising output to about 560 horsepower, making it very similar to the 911 GT3 R cars found in IMSA, WEC, and DTM. Ultimately, the company says this special edition’s performance slots in between the 4.0-liter-powered 911 GT3 Cup and the 911 GT3 R. Manthey wouldn’t disclose exactly how high this 4.2-liter flat-six will rev, but we’re told it’s an engine that could take more than 9200 rpm, like the race cars competing today.

The displacement bump is a reminder that, although modern Manthey Racing kits focus on aero, brakes, suspension, and wheels, engine modifications used to be a bigger part of the company's tinkering efforts. Manthey famously offered GT3s with bigger pistons, including a 3.9-liter conversion for the 996 generation.

The new MR 30 also receives an extensively revised aerodynamic and cooling package that Manthey says has already been proven in customer racing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. An earlier development version with less power than the finished MR 30 turned a 7:58.605 lap of the NLS configuration during warmer summer months, so the completed car certainly has more in it.

Additional carbon fiber has been added inside and out. They’ve even replaced the factory intake box with a lighter carbon fiber unit. The wing measures about 180 centimeters wide. Manthey also converts the 911 to a central-radiator layout, both to improve airflow and to make the cooling system less vulnerable during contact.