Upgrade package that almost doubles downforce and chopped cut six seconds from the stock RS’s Nurburgring time is now available to U.S. owners
May 10, 2024 at 14:00
- Manthey performance kit now available through U.S. Porsche dealers for $53,946 plus fitting, or $60k with carbon gurney flap
- Aero mods increase downforce at 124 mph from 196 to 372 lbs and helped reduce Nurburgring lap time by six seconds
- Porsche Experience Centers in Atlanta and Los Angeles to offer driving programs featuring Manthey-equipped GT4 RS cars
Porsche is bringing a little taste of the Nurburgring to America by offering a hardcore Manthey performance package for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
The same kit helped Jörg Bergmeister lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:03.121 last year, cutting more than six seconds from the time set by the already rapid stock RS in 2022.
Related: Porsche Creates Special 718 Cayman GT4 RS To Celebrate Carrera Panamericana Race
But those six seconds are going to cost you almost as much money as a brand new base 718 Cayman. One of those will set you back $68,300, while the Manthey package comes in at $53,946 plus fitting, or $5,890 more if you add the additional aero bundle that replaces the front fender louvers and adds a larger visible carbon gurney flap to the rear.
That last piece of equipment improves downforce by four percent when the manually-adjustable rear wing is in its most aggressive position. Stock wings only have three available positions but ticking the Manthey option adds a fourth, and in total, the Manthey aero mods are capable of boosting downforce from 196 to 372 lbs (89-169 kg) at 124 mph (200 kmh).
With that kind of additional squish it’s no wonder that the Manthey team felt the need to increase the spring rates (the fronts are 20 percent stiffer) and to introduce carbon fiber reinforcements to the engine cover. The tuning kit is available in two versions to suit cars with and without the optional nose-lift system, and also includes steel brake lines to improve pedal feel.
What hasn’t changed is the 493-hp (500 PS) 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six, which is one of the craziest sounding engines currently fitted to a road car. Porsche quotes a zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 196 mph for the regular RS, but we imagine running the Manthey version’s wing in its most extreme angle will reduce the vmax potential slightly.
Even Porsche fans flush enough to afford the $160,700 GT4 RS might think twice about spending one third as much again on some tuning parts, but they do at least have the option to try before they buy. Porsche experience centers in Los Angeles and Atlanta will both be running drive programs open to the public that feature RS models fitted with the Manthey package.
