2026 Porsche 911 GT3 Manthey vs Weissach: Nürburgring Lap Times Shock Everyone

When Porsche tests a car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the entire performance world pays attention. That is exactly what happened with these two versions of the 2026 Porsche 911 GT3. One uses the dual clutch transmission and a full Manthey Performance Kit. The other stays true to the old school spirit with a six speed manual transmission and the Weissach Package. Both are incredibly fast, but the way they achieve their lap times could not be more different.

The Manthey Performance Kit Porsche 911 GT3 with the dual clutch transmission recorded a lap time of 6:52.981 on the full 20.8 kilometer course. That makes it one of the quickest naturally aspirated cars to ever lap the track. The Manthey upgrades add more downforce, more grip, and more stability at the absolute limit, especially in high speed sections. Porsche also used Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires for this run, which are some of the stickiest street legal tires available. The dual clutch transmission helps keep the engine in the power band at all times, allowing the driver to focus on corner entry, exit, and braking pressure without worrying about perfectly timed shifts.

On the other side of the comparison is the Porsche 911 GT3 with the Weissach Package and the six speed manual transmission. This car ran an incredible lap time of 6:56.294, making it the fastest manual transmission production car ever recorded on the Nordschleife. Even without the Manthey aerodynamic package, the car shows how capable the updated 992.2 chassis really is. The manual transmission adds a different level of involvement. Every shift becomes part of the rhythm, and hitting the perfect gear change adds a sense of reward that no automatic system can match. It is a slower lap time by about 3 seconds, but the emotional experience is completely different.

When you look at both cars side by side, the Manthey Kit version is the outright performance benchmark. The Weissach manual version is the emotional benchmark, the one that proves a driver can still set an incredible time using pure skill. Both offer something special, and both show how far Porsche continues to push the 911 lineup. If you enjoy performance cars, make sure to not forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you do not miss our next video.