Considering going the full Manthey Racing with your GT4? You should.
. That wasn’t a helium leak; the GT4 RS apparently does that to you. Because it’s that good.
The pads are racing spec, the brake hoses braided, and there are a few aero tweaks: modified intakes, underbody air deflectors and an MR rear wing complete with Gurney flap. For £18,700, you get all that plus a set of lightweight forged BBS wheels. The tyre sizes are standard GT4, though, and the car we drove was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s.
On top of the new ratio, option two also comes with a lightened flywheel that does away with the dual-mass affair fitted at the factory. Naturally, there’s an exhaust upgrade: this stands you in at £3,000 and replaces everything aft of the petrol particulate filters, which were added when the 981 GT4 became the 718 GT4. The new exhaust retains the switchability of the standard system with a choice of modes.
When I initially popped the exhaust valve open, I didn’t like the boom it introduces. But that was ambling around; another listen while scything up the rev range proved a lot better. Past 3,000rpm, on a hard-pressed throttle, any boom has vapourised. You're left with a crisper, richer call.
There are other quirks, too. Like, for example, the chatter from the geartrain when the engine’s labouring below 3,000rpm. This sounds a bit like a knackered-out input shaft bearing, but nothing’s on the way out here. Once again, the cause is the reduced damping effect of the flyweight flywheel, and, once again, as far as I’m concerned, it adds to stripped-bare motorsport spirit. It’s not annoying, which I’m not sure I can say is true of the new sixth gear.
It’s still a slight trade-off, mind, but you appreciate what for come the first long, fast sweeper. Oh my, the bite from the front tyres and the reassurance you get when the front end is loaded-up is a thrill. Even if you’re name’s Tom, Dick or Ham-fisted Harry, I don’t think you could miss the MR’s added panache. And in case you’re thinking it’s all locked down for a track, it’s not. If anything, it’s more agile in the slower-speed stuff.