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Manthey Gives the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT the GT3 RS Treatment

The first time Porsche handed its Nürburgring whisperers at Manthey the keys to an EV, the result wasn’t subtle. It was inevitable.

Meet the new Manthey Kit for the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package—a track-focused retrofit that transforms Porsche’s already absurd electric super sedan into something that sounds suspiciously like a GT3 RS with a battery pack. And because this is Manthey we’re talking about, the upgrades aren’t cosmetic theater. They’re stopwatch weapons.

The headline figure says everything you need to know: a 6:55.533 lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. That’s not just fast for an EV executive car—it’s violently fast. With Porsche development driver Lars Kern behind the wheel, the Manthey-equipped Taycan shaved more than 12 seconds off the standard Turbo GT Weissach’s previous record and dropped over nine seconds from the category benchmark. On a track where single seconds can consume engineering departments whole, twelve is an eternity.

What’s perhaps most impressive is how the Manthey treatment follows the same philosophy that made the company’s 911 GT kits legendary: grip first, ego second.

The standard Taycan Turbo GT already feels like it’s rewriting physics in real time, but the Manthey car attacks corners with an entirely different level of composure. Aerodynamics are the centerpiece. A new rear wing with larger end plates, revised front diffuser, aggressive rear diffuser fins, underbody air deflectors, and carbon aerodiscs on the rear wheels combine to produce more than triple the downforce of the standard car.

At 124 mph, total downforce jumps from 95 kilograms to 310. Flat out at 193 mph, the car reportedly generates roughly 740 kilograms of aerodynamic load. That’s enough to make the Taycan look less like a supersedan and more like a low-flying prototype racer.

And unlike so many modern aero packages, this one isn’t designed for Instagram parking-lot credibility. Kern says the difference is immediately noticeable through the Nordschleife’s terrifying high-speed sections, particularly under braking and direction changes. Between Lauda-Links and Bergwerk, he carried 14 km/h more speed than during the previous record run. Fourteen. On the Nürburgring, that’s the kind of number that gets your attention very quickly.

Manthey and Porsche didn’t stop with airflow. For the first time, the kit also tweaks the Taycan’s powertrain. Revised software for the high-voltage battery, control unit, and pulse inverters increases discharge current from 1,100 to 1,300 amps, pushing output to 600 kW and bumping Launch Control torque to 1,270 Nm.

Then there’s Attack Mode, which now delivers an extra 130 kW for ten seconds. In practical terms, the Taycan temporarily erupts to 730 kW—roughly 979 horsepower in freedom units. That’s enough thrust to make most hypercars feel like they accidentally left the parking brake engaged.

The chassis upgrades sound equally obsessive. The forged 21-inch Manthey wheels are larger yet lighter than the stock setup, helped by titanium wheel bolts that trim unsprung mass even further. Optional Pirelli P ZERO Trofeo RS tires are significantly wider than standard, while recalibrated Porsche Active Ride suspension, rear steering, and all-wheel-drive systems sharpen turn-in and stability.

Even the brakes got serious attention, with larger discs and upgraded pads engineered to repeatedly arrest nearly 5,000 pounds of electric fury without waving the white flag halfway through a hot lap.

Visually, the Manthey kit avoids the trap of turning the Taycan into a cosplay race car. Yes, there’s exposed carbon fiber everywhere—wheel-arch vents, side skirts, aero extensions, the towering rear wing—but everything appears functional, deliberate, and engineered with the same ruthless logic as the lap time itself.

That may be the most fascinating thing about this Taycan. It represents a philosophical shift for Porsche’s EV future. Until now, electric performance cars have largely relied on brute-force acceleration to impress. The Manthey Taycan proves there’s another path: one built around aerodynamic efficiency, chassis precision, thermal consistency, and repeatable track performance.

In other words, it’s behaving exactly like a Porsche.

And maybe that’s the real breakthrough here. The Manthey kit doesn’t simply make the Taycan Turbo GT faster. It gives Porsche’s electric flagship something far more valuable in enthusiast circles: credibility earned one terrifyingly quick lap at a time.

Source: Porsche

NEW CARS

Mercedes-AMG Unveils 1,169-HP Electric GT 4-Door Coupe

The Mercedes-AMG era of thunderous V8s and tire-smoking excess isn’t dead—it’s just been plugged in. With the unveiling of the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, AMG has fired its loudest shot yet in the rapidly escalating EV horsepower war, and the numbers are almost absurd: up to 1,169 horsepower, 2,000 Nm of torque, and enough charging speed to make today’s EVs look prehistoric.

At first glance, the new GT 4-Door Coupe barely resembles the gasoline-powered AMG GT models that came before it. Instead, this electric flagship takes heavy inspiration from the wild AMG GT XX Concept, trading long-hood aggression for a smoother, more futuristic silhouette shaped as much by airflow as by aesthetics. The result is sleek rather than brutal, but still unmistakably AMG.

The front fascia is dominated by an illuminated closed grille flanked by headlights connected through a full-width LED strip, while the rear features one of the most distinctive light signatures AMG has ever attempted—three glowing elements on each side, sitting beneath another horizontal light bar. It looks more concept car than production sedan, and that’s entirely the point.

AMG engineers obsessed over aerodynamics here, and it shows. Active aero elements beneath the bodywork constantly adjust airflow, while even the 19- to 21-inch wheels are sculpted for efficiency. The payoff is a remarkably slippery drag coefficient of just 0.22, a figure that puts the big AMG in genuine EV hyper-sedan territory.

Inside, the GT 4-Door Coupe abandons nearly every trace of analog simplicity. Screens dominate the cabin. A 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster sits ahead of the driver, while twin 14-inch displays stretch across the dashboard—one for infotainment and another dedicated to the front passenger. It’s dramatic, expensive-looking, and exactly what buyers in this segment now expect.

Still, AMG hasn’t forgotten performance theatrics. Three rotary controllers mounted on the center console operate the new AMG Race Engineer interface, allowing drivers to tweak throttle response, chassis behavior, grip settings, and cornering characteristics with race-car-like precision. There’s also enough luxury to remind you this thing is still a grand tourer: leather-covered sports seats, carbon-fiber trim, dual wireless phone charging, illuminated cupholders, and a panoramic “Sky Control” glass roof that can switch from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button while projecting AMG graphics overhead.

Practicality? Surprisingly decent. The rear hatch opens to reveal 507 liters of cargo space—enough for weekend luggage, golf bags, or perhaps the emotional baggage of traditional AMG fans still mourning naturally aspirated engines.

Then come the numbers.

The entry-level AMG GT 55 uses a triple-motor axial-flux setup producing 816 horsepower and a colossal 1,800 Nm of torque. AMG claims a 0–100 km/h sprint in 2.8 seconds and a 300-km/h top speed with the optional Drivers Package.

But the real headline belongs to the AMG GT 63. Its three electric motors unleash 1,169 horsepower and 2,000 Nm, enough to catapult the four-door coupe to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds. Top speed remains electronically capped at 300 km/h, though the limiting factor may be physics—or bravery.

Both models use a 106-kWh battery pack capable of delivering up to 700 kilometers of WLTP range. More impressive is the charging capability: the system supports up to 600 kW charging speeds, allowing approximately 460 kilometers of range to be added in just 10 minutes under ideal conditions. If real-world infrastructure catches up, this could become one of the first EVs that genuinely makes charging stops feel irrelevant.

And because AMG knows silence alone won’t satisfy loyalists, the company has created AMGFORCE Sport+, a drive mode that synthesizes the sound of a roaring V8 both inside and outside the vehicle. Purists will roll their eyes. Customers will probably love it.

Additional drive modes include Comfort, Sport, Race, Slippery, Individual, and—for the first time ever in an AMG model—Eco mode. Yes, an AMG with an Eco button. Welcome to 2026.

Production begins this summer at Mercedes’ Sindelfingen plant, with pricing still under wraps. Expect it to land deep in six-figure territory and squarely against rivals like the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and Lucid Air Sapphire.

Whether enthusiasts are ready or not, AMG’s electric future has arrived—and it’s faster than almost anything wearing an AMG badge before it.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

Auctions

This 2200-KM Volkswagen Scirocco Is Basically a Brand-New 1992 Time Capsule

Few cars wear their survival story as proudly as this 1992 Volkswagen Scirocco GT II. In a world where most second-generation Sciroccos were modified, neglected, or simply driven into the ground, this Jasper Green Metallic time capsule has somehow escaped all three fates—and it may just be one of the lowest-mileage Volkswagens left on the planet.

With only around 2200 kilometers showing on the odometer after 34 years, this Scirocco doesn’t merely look preserved; it looks frozen. The paint still carries the deep gloss that defined early-1990s Volkswagen showroom floors, while the original 14-inch alloy wheels appear as though they’ve spent more time under fluorescent lights than on asphalt. Which, in a way, they did.

According to the auction listing, this GT II sat inside a German showroom for more than a decade before finally finding its first owner in 2003. That strange limbo likely saved it from the fate suffered by so many of its siblings. The Scirocco was never treated as a collectible in period. It was a stylish front-drive coupe that spent most of its life being driven hard, modified poorly, or discarded once hot hatches evolved beyond it. Seeing one survive in this condition feels almost improbable.

The interior is where the car really sells its story. Open the door and you’re greeted by gloriously loud patterned cloth seats that perfectly capture Volkswagen’s playful early-’90s design language. Modern interiors may obsess over minimalism and giant touchscreens, but this cabin reminds you that cars once had personality. The original cassette deck remains in place, a tiny detail that somehow matters enormously, and the small sunroof adds just enough flair to elevate the whole package from economy coupe to genuine junior grand tourer.

Under the hood sits a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter inline-four producing 90 horsepower and 136 Nm of torque, paired with a five-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels. By modern standards, those numbers barely register, but that misses the point entirely. The Scirocco has never been about outright speed. It’s about lightness, simplicity, and the kind of analog charm that disappeared long before “driver engagement” became a marketing phrase.

The car received its last service in 2023, though another inspection is recommended before it returns to regular road use. That caveat feels almost ceremonial. Cars like this aren’t really bought to commute; they’re bought because they preserve a moment in automotive history that has mostly vanished.

Unsurprisingly, the auction has already generated significant attention, including interest from buyers reportedly considering importing the car to the United States. And honestly, it’s easy to understand why. Pristine Mk2 Sciroccos have become almost mythical, especially untouched examples finished in period-correct colors with virtually no mileage.

In today’s collector market, rarity alone isn’t enough. Authenticity matters more. This Scirocco has both—and in quantities almost nobody expected to see again.

Source: Bring a Trailer