3 PEDALS, 1 MISSION: THE PORSCHE 911 GT3 JUST BECAME THE FASTEST STICK-SHIFT PRODUCTION CAR AT THE 'RING
There’s fast. There’s Nürburgring fast. And then there’s manual GT3 fast. In an era where dual-clutch trickery and electronic wizardry dominate, Porsche just threw down a gauntlet lined in Alcantara and proved the old-school way is still a serious weapon. Enter the 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 with the Weissach Package and a good old-fashioned 6-speed manual gearbox - now officially the fastest production car with a manual transmission ever to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Behind the wheel was Porsche’s own corner-carving samurai, brand ambassador Jörg Bergmeister, who blitzed the 20.832-kilometre Green Hell in just 6:56.294. That not only decimates the previous manual lap record by over 9.5 seconds, it’s also 3.633 seconds quicker than the last-gen 992.1 GT3 equipped with the faster, more clinical PDK transmission. Let that sink in - the manual car was faster than its auto-equipped predecessor.
Why? Because Everything Got Sharper
While power holds steady at 375 kW, the difference lies in the evolution of everything else. The new GT3 channels lessons learned from the ballistic GT3 RS: reworked chassis tuning, enhanced suspension geometry, more bump compliance, and curbing composure that borders on witchcraft. Combine that with a shorter final gear ratio (eight % tighter than before) and you’ve got a car that feels punchier out of corners and more alive at the limit. “The new 911 GT3 inspires even more confidence at the edge,” said Bergmeister. “I was quicker through almost every corner. It’s more composed, more precise - and with the manual, it made every second of that lap feel raw and real. I definitely had more to do on this lap, which made it even more fun.”
Gunning for the Manual Crown
This wasn’t just a flex for fun. Porsche had a specific target in its sights - a rival brand’s stick-shift special that clocked 7:01.300 on the 20.6 km layout of the ’Ring. On the full-length version, that translates to roughly 7:05.800. Porsche didn’t just beat it, they left it choking on Cup 2 R dust. And yes, the car was 100% production-spec, down to the road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres (255/35 R20 front, 315/30 R21 rear). Temperatures were ideal - 12°C ambient and 27°C track - but there was no trickery involved. Just Weissach-spec wizardry and one very committed right foot. Andreas Preuninger, Director of the GT Model Line, knows exactly why this matters. “More and more GT3 customers are choosing the six-speed manual. They want to know what it’s capable of not just how it feels, but how it performs. We’ve answered that now.” Sure, the PDK version will always be quicker in a stopwatch shootout. But with this lap, Porsche didn’t just clock a time - they made a point. A big, rev-matching, downshifting, apex-hitting point: the manual gearbox isn’t dead. It’s just getting faster.
As a reminder, the Porsche GT3 RS is a street-legal track weapon that’s fitted with Porsche’s amazing 4.0-littre flat-6. This is the one that doesn’t have any kind of power assistance from a turbo or supercharger, it’s a highly-tuned normally-aspirated powerplant with one of the most amazing soundtracks you’ll find on a street-legal car. As mentioned, it has 375 kW on tap with 465 Nm of torque, and it’s claimed that it can hit the 100 km/h benchmark speed in as little as 3.2 seconds and it can run on to a top speed of 296 km/h. Here in SA, you’ll need to fork out a lil more than R5,000,000 if you want one, and that’s only if Porsche will sell you one. Background checks apply.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off just how fast the manual GT3 was when it blitzed the 'Ring to claim a new manual car lap record - would you ride shotgun during one of these record attempts?: Grab a passenger ride in the Porsche 911 GT3 as it sets a new Nürburgring lap time | Porsche
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