The Porsche 991 GT2 RS smashes the lap record at the Nürburgring!

Antonio Roncero @roncero_antonio 24 June 2021 3 min.

A Porsche 911 GT2 RS fitted with Manthey’s Performance Kit and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres is the fastest road-legal production car around the “Green Hell” yet.

It has done it again. Porsche has set a new lap record at the Nürburgring in the category of production cars approved for road use, and the star of the show could be none other than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. With the specialist in these matters, test driver Lars Kern, behind the wheel, the 911 GT2 RS has beaten the previous record by no less than 4.747 seconds, stopping the clock at 6:43.300.

So you don’t have to look it up, we remind you that the record had until now been held by the Mercedes AMG GT Black Series, since November 2020. The new record was set on 14 June, as is customary in these cases, before a notary.

A record-breaking Porsche 911… with a small “trick”

The car used for this battle against the clock, which will surely soon have another chapter, was a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, but with one small modification: it was fitted with the Manthey Performance Kit, developed in collaboration with Porsche. This kit includes a series of components for the chassis, bodywork and brakes, although the magnesium wheels from the Weissach Package were also installed, which reduce weight by 11.4 kg.

The aerodynamic components of Manthey’s kit are the most important for achieving the record. Specifically, the front spoiler fins, the carbon-fibre underbody panels and the elements that modify the airflow channelling around the front wheels increase downforce on that axle. Specifically, at a speed of 200 km/h, downforce on the front axle rises from 49 to 70 kg.

At the rear, the same effect is achieved with the new rear wing, a modified diffuser and the aerodynamic design of the rear wheel discs. Here, downforce at that same speed goes from 93 to 200 kg.

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Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres for a record

The chassis modifications on the 911 GT2 RS, whose engine delivers 700 CV and has barely needed an additional water tank for the spray cooling of the intercoolers, focus on a track-specific setup. This is relatively easy to achieve, since the front dampers offer three possible configurations, and the rear ones four.

Competition brake pads have also been used for the PCCB braking system with ceramic discs, along with steel-braided brake lines for a more direct pedal response.

Once again, Porsche has relied on Michelin for this record, using Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres, which are designed to achieve lap times on the track but are at the same time approved for road use.

Porsche is already accepting orders for Manthey’s Performance Kit, marketed by Porsche Tequipment at Porsche Centres across Europe, which also allows buyers to purchase a special warranty approved by the German brand for each 911 GT2 RS fitted with this kit.