Manthey Racing Porsche Taycan Turbo GT – every detail on this slayer of Chinese hypercars
The Manthey Racing kit for the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is extreme even for Porsche. Here are all the details of how it took the fight to Yangwang
Nürburgring lap records never last long, and for Chinese manufacturer BYD, the reign of its Yangwang U9 Xtreme as the Green Hell’s fastest electric car managed around eight months. The car to topple it is from a familiar name when it comes to ‘Ring records: Manthey Racing.
The German racing team and tuner set a new time of 6:55.533 at the Nordschleife in a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT back in April, equipped with a full Manthey aero and performance kit. That’s four seconds quicker than the U9 Xtreme managed, and while even Manthey itself admits that when the time was set, it couldn’t be counted as a production car record, that’s now changed, as Porsche and Manthey now offer the kit from the factory.
There’s an asterisk with that: the kit, exclusively available on the range-topping Taycan Turbo GT (which itself set a 7:07.55 in the hands of the same driver, Lars Kern), is only available on left-hand drive cars, due to a quirk relating to how the upgrade package works with the Taycan’s charging setup. But if buyers in right-hand drive markets are interested, it’s still possible to get hold of one through special order. And if you’re already in the market for a Turbo GT, then you’ll be sorely tempted after reading up on Manthey’s modifications.
> The top 10 fastest ever Nürburgring lap times
Firstly, there are the performance benefits. With the same battery and motor setup as the Turbo GT, Manthey has delved into the software and extracted more power – no mean feat, given the Taycan has 15 ECUs to tinker with. The loopy 1019bhp overboost figure is the same, but constant output has risen from 778bhp to 805bhp, while “attack mode” adds another 40bhp to the existing 939bhp figure. Torque has increased too, from 915lb ft to 937lb ft, and by raising the motor RPM, top speed has climbed from 190mph to 193mph. Acceleration is unchanged: still 2.2sec from 0-62mph and 6.4sec to 124mph.
The aero kit and new wheel and tyre setup is where the lap time gains are found though. Starting with the rolling stock, the car now runs massive 11.5-inch wide lightweight wheels at the front with 305-section Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres, up from the 265-section tyres on the regular Turbo GT. Rear tyres have gone up from 305mm to 335mm, on 12-inch wide rims – which of course wear Manthey’s characteristic aero discs. As well as putting more rubber on the road, the wheels shed 2.8kg all round, and another kilo is saved by using titanium wheel nuts.
Wider wheels necessitate arches to cover them. The rear arches are carbon additions over the standard bodywork, but at the front, the fenders are all-new carbonfibre pieces. The impressive setup incorporates the wider arch, as well as 911 GT3 RS-style carbon louvres and a cutout behind the wheel with the aim of extracting air for improved downforce.
Also in the name of downforce are new underbody pieces with turning vanes to direct air around the car and through a new, larger rear diffuser, while topside there’s a front lip on sprung supports, and a colossal rear wing. The carbonfibre piece is a full 37cm in cross section and 1.92m wide, yet still fits within the dimensions of the car to meet various road regulations. Not road legal is the kit’s max-attack wing angle, as it blocks out the third brakelight, though set the wing to this position and the Manthey kit develops 740kg of downforce at V-max, a full 3.2 times that of a Turbo GT with the Weissach pack.
If you’re wondering what a wing like that does when positioned on a bootlid, you’d be right to ask: The Turbo GT’s tailgate already incorporates load-bearing blocks, but these were pressing into the rear fenders so hard at speed, Manthey developed carbon supports in the boot to directly transfer the load to hard points on the chassis. Thankfully, the Porsche Active Ride suspension was already up to the increased pressure, though new wider wheels and tyres were also necessary, so Manthey has tweaked the suspension to its own settings.
Other changes include a permanently opened lower grille, since the factory aero shutters block off much-needed cooling airflow at lower speeds. The brakes too are larger by 20mm at each corner (440mm front, 410mm rear), with PCCB and performance pads as standard. Despite all the new parts, the Manthey kit adds only 15kg to the weight of the car, aided by the lightweighting efforts put into each component.
The ‘Ring time speaks for itself, but Manthey promises improved handling, grip, steering precision, feedback, and of course overall track performance. And as alluded to, it can be specified right from Porsche’s own configurator in new 2027 model year Turbo GTs (which also get Porsche’s E-Shift virtual gearshift function and improved infotainment), for a cool £94,022 (€108,900) extra.
Existing Turbo GT owners need not be left out either, as it can be retrofitted £78,598 (€91,050) plus fitting – though with older cars, you’re obviously missing out on E-Shift and other 2027 updates. Potential buyers clearly aren’t put off by the price: Manthey tells us that customers were putting deposits down as soon as the first prototypes were spotted at the ‘Ring…
