Key Points
- A 2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Kit broke the Road Atlanta production car lap record.
- The 2025 GT3 RS with Manthey Kit also became the fastest N/A production car at the track.
- The 2026 GT3 with Manthey Kit also went faster with Manthey aero upgrades.
The 1,064-horsepower Chevy Corvette ZR1 is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and capable supercars on the planet right now, but the lap record it set at Road Atlanta last year has just been lost to a seven-year-old car with only 690 hp on tap. To be fair, it’s not just any old car but a 2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991.2) with the Manthey Kit, and its new production car lap record at Road Atlanta (1:22.649) is only two tenths quicker than the ZR1 managed (and 2.2 seconds quicker than a regular GT2 RS). The feat was achieved with road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N0 tires, the same stuff used for the previous lap in 2019, showing just how much extra grip can be found with more aerodynamic aids. The video of the lap is embedded below, but it’s not the only lap Porsche wants you to watch.
Multiple Porsche 911 GT Variants Set New Lap Times
While the twin-turbocharged GT2 RS with Manthey Kit was the fastest car Porsche took to Road Atlanta, it also showed up with some newer, less powerful machinery. The 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992.1) with Manthey Kit set a time of 1:23.932, making it the fastest naturally aspirated production car ever to lap Road Atlanta. Porsche driver Joerg Bergmeister said that “cornering speeds are on the level of GT-class race cars,” and it shows. But the German automaker was not done yet.
Porsche followed that up with a 2026 911 GT3 (992.2) with Manthey Kit taking to the circuit, clocking a time of 1:24.639. That’s 1.8 seconds quicker than the 2022 911 GT3 that Porsche brought to the track a few years back, and what makes the Manthey upgrades particularly appealing is that they can be attained through Porsche dealers across the U.S., meaning your warranty won’t be affected by seeking this added performance.
Porsche Is Working On Several New 911 GT Cars
As impressive as these lap times are, we suspect that at least some of them will be beaten soon. Porsche has been spied testing a new GT2 RS for quite some time, and it’s expected to debut for the 2027 model year. If that’s accurate, we could see it revealed before the end of 2026, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Porsche were to accompany the unveiling with more new records. If not, they’ll surely happen before long. There are also rumblings that the next 911 GT3 could become turbocharged, with Porsche being forced to adapt to global emissions requirements. If true, that would explain why Porsche gave us the 911 GT3 S/C drop top; Zuffenhausen wants to extract all the joy it can from the naturally aspirated boxer engine.
About the author
Sebastian Cenizo
Senior Editor, Autoblog