Manthey has marked its 30th anniversary with two limited-production race cars based on Porsche’s 911 GT3 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The cars are called the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup MR 30 and the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30. Manthey plans to build 15 examples of each. They were presented around the DTM season finale at Hockenheim, where the company also previewed the next stage of its closer relationship with Porsche.
These are not road cars with an anniversary decal package. Manthey has reworked the aerodynamics, cooling, suspension and chassis setup for circuit use. Reports on the project describe a 4.2-litre flat-six for the 911 GT3 Cup MR 30, producing about 560 hp. The Cayman is based on the mid-engined 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and receives wider carbon-fibre bodywork, revised aero and endurance-focused cooling.
Two race-car projects for Manthey’s anniversary
Olaf Manthey founded the company in 1996. It grew from a racing operation into one of Porsche’s key partners in motorsport, vehicle development and track-focused performance products. Porsche has now increased its stake in Manthey Racing to 67 per cent. Porsche says the partnership will be used for special models, performance kits and exclusive racetrack experiences.
The anniversary cars use two different competition platforms. The 911 GT3 Cup is built for one-make racing and related customer-racing programmes. The 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport is a mid-engined GT race car and the basis for Manthey’s Cayman development work at the Nürburgring.
The 15-car limit does not make either vehicle a road-legal special edition. Both are race cars intended for circuits, competition and specialist track use. Manthey has not announced road homologation or a public list price. The project should therefore be viewed as a customer-racing programme rather than a Porsche showroom model.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup MR 30
The headline mechanical change on the 911 is the larger 4.2-litre flat-six. Coverage of the unveiling gives the engine an output of around 560 hp, placing the car closer to the performance area of the Porsche 911 GT3 R than a standard Cup car. Earlier Cup MR projects followed the same idea: develop a car that bridges the gap between the regular 911 GT3 Cup and the more advanced GT3 R.
The body is wider through carbon-fibre fenders and wheel-arch extensions. The track grows by approximately 20 mm at the front and 50 mm at the rear. That extra width creates room for a broader footprint and revised wheel positioning. Lightweight wheels reduce unsprung mass; Manthey quotes a saving of about 3.8 kg for the wheel set used in the project.
The chassis uses six-way adjustable coil-over suspension and revised kinematics. A race engineer can use those adjustments to adapt the car to different circuits, tyres and grip levels. They do not create one universal performance figure. Lap times still depend on the driver, tyre compound, fuel load, weather and setup.
Aerodynamics and cooling
Manthey has revised the front end, splitter, underbody, wheel arches and rear wing. The wider arches and larger aero surfaces are intended to create more downforce and stability at speed. On a race car, that additional load can improve corner entry and mid-corner control, but it also changes drag and tyre loads.
A central radiator layout improves airflow and reduces the risk of damaging a side-mounted cooling package in light contact. Manthey has used the concept in its endurance work. Brake cooling has also been revised to reduce wear during long stints, when a car must maintain performance over several hours rather than complete a single qualifying lap.
Several exterior panels, including the bonnet, fenders, extensions and rear spoiler, use recycled carbon fibre. This is part of the project’s approach to material use and weight reduction. It does not mean that the overall environmental impact of a combustion-powered race car has been eliminated.
The Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30
The second anniversary car starts with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Manthey and the Griesemann Gruppe previously developed the Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport M for endurance racing at the Nürburgring. The MR 30 takes that mid-engined race-car programme further with a wider body, revised aero, chassis changes and upgraded cooling hardware.
The carbon-fibre wheel arches create a wider stance and allow the track to be increased. A revised front section, rear diffuser and large rear wing are designed around higher downforce. The suspension geometry uses a visibly aggressive negative-camber setup. That can support cornering performance on a circuit, but it also increases tyre wear and is not a sensible road-use compromise.
Brake cooling and the central radiator are important to the Cayman’s endurance role. Manthey says the cooling configuration has already been tested in long-distance racing, including the Nürburgring 24 Hours programme. In endurance racing, thermal consistency can be more important than a short peak-power advantage because the car must remain usable throughout repeated stints.
Anniversary graphics and customer allocation
Both cars wear anniversary liveries based on Manthey’s traditional colours, with “30 Years” branding. The graphics identify the project, but the more consequential changes are underneath: the larger 911 engine, wider bodywork, adjustable suspension, revised cooling and carbon-fibre components.
Manthey is limiting production to 15 units of each model. Potential customers were invited to submit applications by the end of October 2026, with Manthey selecting the successful buyers. Deliveries of the Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30 are scheduled to start in November 2026, while the 911 GT3 Cup MR 30 is planned for early 2027.
The company has not published a list price in the available material. There is also no Romanian distribution plan. These cars are built in very small numbers for racing customers, rather than offered as road-going models that can be configured through a normal Porsche dealer.
Why Porsche is expanding the partnership
Porsche says Manthey combines 30 years of GT experience with seven overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victories, six Le Mans class wins and titles in the FIA WEC and DTM. Porsche’s increased stake and the MR 30 project show how the partnership covers both motorsport and customer performance products.
The anniversary cars are not volume products, but they demonstrate how a specialist race programme can produce highly focused hardware for a small group of customers. Some of the engineering principles can later inform road-car kits, although Cup-car components and race settings cannot be transferred directly to a road-legal 911 or Cayman.
The confirmed picture is specific: Manthey is building 15 examples each of the 911 GT3 Cup MR 30 and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport MR 30. The 911 is reported with a 4.2-litre, approximately 560-hp engine, while the Cayman focuses on body width, aero, cooling and chassis development. Pricing, customer names and independent lap-test results remain undisclosed.
