Porsche offers 'Ring-proven Manthey kit for 718 Cayman GT4 RS

Porsche has a new, eye-wateringly expensive track package for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. As if the 493-horsepower track-day special wasn't already nutty enough, this new package was put together based on the kit that was fitted to the car that carved more than six seconds off the stock GT4 RS's 'Ring time in the hands of Porsche pro driver Jörg Bergmeister. 

Let's make one thing clear: by itself, the 718 GT4 RS is already a monster. Lapping the Nordschleife in under 7:10 is plenty impressive in its own right. But of course, that wasn't good enough for Porsche. Or to put it another way, the company certainly doesn't stand to lose any sales by offering an even faster car, so why not do it? Cost certainly isn't a factor for its customers, who seem content to hoover up any and every special, limited or otherwise non-standard model Porsche can crank out. Even with a $53,946 price tag, we expect this bundle will find no shortage of customers. 

For about $15,000 less than the base price of a Porsche Macan, you get a track-focused package comprising an overhauled and fully adjustable coilover suspension with massively stiffer front springs, revised aero that nearly doubles downforce at 124 mph and some flex-free steel brake lines. Throw in another $5,890 and you'll get a supplemental aero package that replaces the front fender louvers and adds a larger rear gurney flap to the rear spoiler, both made of bare carbon fiber. Porsche says the revised flap alone increases the maximum downforce on the rear axle by another 4%. 

Both of Porsche's U.S. Experience Centers will offer test drives of the 718 equipped with the Manthey suspension. If you're near Atlanta or Los Angeles and want to schedule a drive, you can visit PorscheDriving.com to sign up. Existing customers are in luck too. Porsche confirmed to Autoblog that the kit can be installed on cars either pre- or post-delivery, so wherever you may be in your GT4 RS ownership journey, you can hop on the Manthey train.