996 GT3 RS Manthey?

[911UK]

Manthey M440 owner here (the 3.9 450bhp one)...

For me, that particular RS is the one I'd have. Not necessarily because of the K410 as I'm led to believe that the RS' were always circa 400bhp from factory anyways and already had the ram air intake. But, it would be the icing on the cake and the final drive makes such a difference.

I love a 996 GT3 of any flavour once it's been fettled, especially if it's been fettled by Manthey! I very nearly went 997RS but once you feel the steering of a properly set up 996 nothing else compares. I can see why folk think a 997.2 is the pinnacle but we all like different things-in Mezger GT3s there is no wrong choice-only your choice.

Having owned 996, 993, G Series and driven a 997 RS for a long, long time, for me the 996 is the one that pulls on my heartstrings;

For one, it was the car all the heroes had when I first started going to the ring.
Secondly, like the 964 before it it's the black sheep of the 911 family-I like being the odd one out.

I always thought of the 997 as the perfect looking 911 but when you look at one, especially in profile next to a 996 you can see how codged-on the front end is on a clean sheet design. I can totally understand why someone would want the 997 front end however.

The other thing, as of course this RS proves is the 996.2 GT3 is the last GT3 where everything was interchangeable between Cup and road car-you want to improve yours? Bolt on the motorsport dept parts. You can't imagine this will ever happen again.

I too had a 993 RS clone and good as it was the GT3 is on another planet performance wise and don't stone me but to my eyes, the 996 is actually ageing better as the years go on.

those M440 are another level

 

[911UK]

tramlining for me was always an issue, noting the camber and ride height, which is quite normal for today but never really had a solution to it

 

[Harryblue]

If you can afford it and you liked driving it then I'd snap it up, they obviously will never be making any more of those and there will never be a better time to buy one in my opinion. I feel like at some point the penny will drop and the 996 will go stratospheric and become the 993 for the newer generation who can afford to indulge their childhood dreams. I might be wrong but I can't see that being a bad buy or being worth less in years to come, I don't know if that tips the odds for you but for most of us non-billionaires the residuals at that price point are a factor.

If I went down there I'd definitely be coming away with something, every car on RPMs sales list is a cracker, but I have too many cars (including a build currently being done) and no more room, otherwise I'd be down there choosing between that Manthey GT3, the Orange 97RS or the wildcard black Spyder with lowered gearing that has a very real possibility of being the best of them all as a drivers car for the UK roads today.

 

[Harryblue]

In fact, to add the above, that Manthey was on my hitlist, right behind the 97RS which has been a car I've wanted for ages, but at that sort of money I decided to have a complete ground up build on a 996 C4S donor car, it's unlikely to ever return my money but it will be the Goldilocks car that has no compromises and is exactly what I want to drive.

If you specifically want a 996 RS to tick that box then fair enough, but for £150k you could have something built on a 996 donor platform that will knock them all out of the park. The only downside is a year+ wait whilst it's being done.

 

[PRO5T]

those M440 are another level

Cheers, I know! It's a car that should really have a proper automotive video made about it-really by someone who knows what they're on about and how to drive it.

To add to other comments, for a cut price version of a 996 GT3 RS Manthey, just get a 996 GT3 Manthey (not a Lotus)! The fact that the RPM car is an RS holds it's own appeal though-if I had the money I would have bought it.

I get the comment about 996s going stratospheric some day-I can foresee a day when a 996 RS is £250k and a standard car £150k-I mean, why aren't they already? I'm exactly the type of guy who should be driving the market and in a way I did for the exact reasons posted above-when I first went the the Nürburgring these were the daddy and I promised myself one then and can now in my forties afford to buy one!

When I was at the 'ring in June I lost count of the amount of people who came up and said it was their poster car, asking for a passenger lap etc. There certainly seems like a lot of nostalgia for them.

Everyone should try a 996 GT3 once in their lives-they are such unique propositions these days. I just love mine, here it is being papped last weekend at a local car show;

 

[911UK]

Engine kit K410

· 996.2 GT3 (incl. RS)
· manifolds, sport catalysts, rear mufflers, tail pipes, air filter, MM motronic
· more power, more torque
· weight reduction by 6.7 kg (exhaust system)
· increase of acceleration, performance, top speed
· developed on the latest MAHA dyno
· tested on the Nürburgring and in every day use
· original onboard diagnosis systems are not affected
· individual dyno run incl. if fitted at Meuspath
· TÜV only inhouse
· special noise reduced version with additional silencer (minus 3 dB) available

 

[andyp]

Please accept the apology for the wildly left field suggestion here on a Porsche forum. The Manthey 996 is a very special beast and very rare. Can absolutely see the appeal. But it IS a lot of money.

If you have the time and are not in a rush, might I suggest an equally rare, just as sharp but dynamically more sophisticated alternative? See if you can speak to Bell and Colvill or Lotus Silverstone and have a go in an Evora GT430. They're outrageously good, and £60k less than the Manthey. If you can't have a go in a 430 (they're rather rare), either a Sport 410 or GT410 Sport will give you a pretty good flavour and there's plenty of those around (at £90k less than the Manthey).

Also appreciate this kind of purchase is at least as much made with heart as well as head, and the Evora might not float your boat in the heart department. But if you've not driven one, you really should. At the very least you'll have a laugh in the process (***** me, the 410s and up are good to drive) and know you made subsequently the right choice for you

Left field suggestion are always welcome! I've driven the Evora 410 (sport I think) - really nice car and also much more compliant and B-road friendly. This was a few years back and I was looking for a car to do trackdays and bizarrely the Evora exhaust was too loud to take on most tracks, which was strange given Lotus' reputation and other cars in their line-up. Love the Lotus brand and I cut my teeth on Elises. It's just a shame they never managed to make that next-gen Esprit.

In more recent times, for what ever reason, I've never really come across many Evoras on trackdays. Not too sure why that is? For that reason, I've not really considered them, but maybe I will do a bit more research...

 

[andyp]

Extra 389 rpm @ 70mph
Extra 514 rpm @ 90mph

On top of standard gearing

Thanks for that

So it's not going to be stupid high for motorway cruising in the UK. Might be a bit louder on an autoroute or autobahn dash though!

 

[Roro]

Thanks for that

So it's not going to be stupid high for motorway cruising in the UK. Might be a bit louder on an autoroute or autobahn dash though!

You should be fine as you’re running a standard exhaust from what I remember? This would be quite something as a first mod on your car, most people start with fancy wheels, but go big or go home eh

Anecdotally I’ve heard people say this mod really wakes up the car and feels like an extra 50bhp. Ideal way to do it is with a taller 6th, but by then you’re staring and a chunky pile of cash …

 

[911UK]

You should be fine as you’re running a standard exhaust from what I remember? This would be quite something as a first mod on your car, most people start with fancy wheels, but go big or go home eh

Anecdotally I’ve heard people say this mod really wakes up the car and feels like an extra 50bhp. Ideal way to do it is with a taller 6th, but by then you’re staring and a chunky pile of cash …

if i had the money I would have run lower ratios all the way up the box, would have worked better with the single mass flywheel I had

 

[911UK]

and if I was nit picking, a closer ratio steering rack was one thing I should have got, can't recall if it was a Cup or something from a 997 back then
the car back then was on OEM aero (with only a 4 degree shim) and was a tad over steery rather than outright snappy which the late great Sean Edwards helped me adapt to, but a quicker steering would have been the next upgrade. On very fast laps there was a lot going on and my heel and toe wasn't always consistent enough to get the full benefit, thus the steering ratio upgrade would have given me some extra confidence to perfect what my right foot was having to do.

that 996 with the Manthey upgrades was a glove, the car will never be forgotten, maybe one day I'll get it back

 

[PRO5T]

Thanks for that

So it's not going to be stupid high for motorway cruising in the UK. Might be a bit louder on an autoroute or autobahn dash though!

I had mine down to the 'ring in June, the RPMs are noticeably higher but it doesn't spoil the fun.

 

[jerzybondov]

Left field suggestion are always welcome! I've driven the Evora 410 (sport I think) - really nice car and also much more compliant and B-road friendly. This was a few years back and I was looking for a car to do trackdays and bizarrely the Evora exhaust was too loud to take on most tracks, which was strange given Lotus' reputation and other cars in their line-up. Love the Lotus brand and I cut my teeth on Elises. It's just a shame they never managed to make that next-gen Esprit.

In more recent times, for what ever reason, I've never really come across many Evoras on trackdays. Not too sure why that is? For that reason, I've not really considered them, but maybe I will do a bit more research...

I think the reason why you don’t see many Evoras on track days is that there aren’t many out there full stop! Even the common ones are rare. And perhaps those who are going to track a lotus go for the Exige instead.

Interesting you came from an Elise - I’ve got an S1 at the moment as well as the 996. Very different beasts!

 

[911UK]

i would see an Evora as more of a Cayman rival
can't really compare anything to a 911 due to it's unique configuration and driving style for that rear engined car

My 996 GT3 K410 I could still cross the continent in complete comfort with space for luggage and get 30mpg, that's not an Exige

 

[andyp]

i would see an Evora as more of a Cayman rival
can't really compare anything to a 911 due to it's unique configuration and driving style for that rear engined car

My 996 GT3 K410 I could still cross the continent in complete comfort with space for luggage and get 30mpg, that's not an Exige

The two stand out things from my test drive was the urgency the lower final drive gave to the car through all the gears and the relative refinement of the car. Having driven a few Exiges in the past, it felt more urgent than an V6 supercharged Exige, whilst having enough creature comforts to go longer distances.

Regarding Evoras, I agree they are more comparative to a Cayman and I have an inkling that a GT4 would be a better track tool than an Evora 430 and be a fair bit cheaper (to buy and run). Steering feel on the Evora would be a step up from the Cayman though.