The Nürburgring has long been the proving ground for automakers worldwide, and once again, Porsche has established itself as the top dog in the production manual transmission segment. The new Porsche 911 GT3 with the Weissach Package has become the fastest production car with a manual transmission at the Nürburgring, shattering the previous record by a staggering 9.5 seconds. 

Clocking a time of 6:56.294, the new GT3 outpaced its predecessor—equipped with Porsche’s renowned PDK transmission—by 3.633 seconds.

Andreas Preuninger, Director of the GT Model Line, commented “More and more 911 GT3 customers are opting for the six-speed manual transmission. And more and more often, we are asked by these customers how fast a 911 GT3 with a manual transmission would be on the Nordschleife.”

He continued, “We’ve now answered that question. And although we know the variant with PDK is significantly faster, we chose to run our official lap time with a manual six-speed gearbox. Even without the automated, super-fast, and precise gearshifts of the PDK—and using a conventional rather than an electronically controlled limited-slip differential—the new 911 GT3 shaved around 3.6 seconds off the predecessor’s time with PDK.”

Rolling on road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires—the same used during the previous model’s official lap—any competitor aiming to beat the previous record of 7:05.800 on the full 20.6-kilometer lap now faces a much tougher challenge. With its 6:56.294 time, the new 911 GT3 beat that benchmark by 9.5 seconds, despite having the same power output as the outgoing model.

Driver Jörg Bergmeister noted that the new GT3 inspired more confidence at the limit when cornering, with noticeably improved stability and sharper drive—thanks in part to the eight-percent shorter gear ratios. In this case, small changes led to a big win for Porsche.