Porsche turns to race team for new 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25

Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 by Manthey Racing

Porsche has enlisted Nurburgring expertise to create its latest and greatest track-day special – the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25.

The German brand has drawn on the motorsport experience of Manthey Racing to build a car that takes inspiration from its Nurburgring 24-hour winning ‘Grello’ 911 GT3 R both in terms of performance and looks. As the name suggests the car is based on the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport track car but also it’s spin-off, the retro-styled 935, but also gets several unique elements thanks to Manthey’s knowledge of Porsche from its long and successful career.

Manthey is now majority owned by Porsche but both now and in its previous independent life it has been the go-to race and tuning house for the German brand. While it has run the factory GTE programs in recent years, its most famous cars are the ‘Grello’ (a nickname for its fluro green and yellow paint scheme) Nurburgring 24 entries.

Matthias Scholz, Porsche’s director GT racing cars, explained the history of Manthey made it the ideal partner for this new model.

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“Porsche Motorsport and Manthey have won many races and championships since the team was founded 25 years ago – for example seven times the 24 hours at the Nürburging,” Scholz said. “Since 2013 the two companies have been closely affiliated. With the unique special edition 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25, this successful partnership has moved to the next level. The 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 benefits from the motor racing experience that Manthey and Porsche Motorsport have gained around the world. It is the perfect circuit racing car for ambitious private drivers, and it’s an impressive example of engineering skill.”

The new Clubsport 25 is powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six making 515kW of power and sends all that power to the rear-wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. While that’s shared with the GT2 RS Clubsport and 935 this new model gets a unique bodykit. Style Porsche designer Grant Larson, who was involved with the 911 RSR, 911 GT3 R and 935, helped shape the final look of the car along with the aerodynamicists.

The look has been defined by the centrally-mounted front radiator which means an all-new front bumper with new intakes for both the radiator and brake ducts. There’s also a new bonnet, made from carbon fibre, with a pair of large vents as well as a NACA duct just being the badge to draw fresh air into the cabin.

The entire car is wider too, thanks to the 935-sourced 18-inch centre-locking racing wheels, which come with larger offsets for the extended track. This means new wheel arches with vertical vents to expel the hot air.

At the back there’s a major redesign, with new, wider rear bodywork that has been inspired by Manthey’s 996-generation 911 GT3-MR Nurburgring 24-hour winner back in 2006. It allows for a wider ducktail spoiler as well as a wider rear wing, complete with swan neck supports.

To showcase these new design elements and connect the Clubsport 25 to Manthey’s racing cars it features the unique ‘Grello’ paint on the key new parts.

“The design of the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25 expresses the long-standing collaboration between Porsche Motorsport and Manthey,” explained Larson. “It amalgamates the respective strengths of each partner into one racing car, and at the same time bridges the gap between the 991 and 992 model generations of the 911. Manthey contributed the basic concept and the technical ideas, with Porsche providing the final design. We used the characteristic colour scheme of Manthey’s ‘Grello’ to specifically highlight certain functional areas of the vehicle.”

Porsche and Manthey Racing will build just 30 examples of the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport 25, which are all likely to be snapped up in quick time by the brand’s owners who only want the best for their next track day.