However, the MR’s happiest hunting ground is at the track, and after a few laps of the fearsomely fast Thruxton circuit it’s clear to me that Manthey’s carefully curated upgrades only enhance the experience and capability of a car that’s hardly shabby when it comes to going around in circles.
Also, in terms of outright pace, if that’s your thing, Manthey reps quietly suggest it has the GT3 RS covered in the stopwatch stakes.
With an extra couple of notches of stiffness dialled into the dampers, the GT3 MR comes alive. There’s more grip everywhere than in the standard GT3, even more positive turn-in, stonking traction out of slower corners and brakes that offer outstanding power and progression. In the quick bits it feels more stable, the clever aero keeping it planted.
Yet it’s playful too, the transition from grip to slip transmitted with 4K clarity, allowing you to subtly shift the car’s exquisite balance on the throttle or the brakes, even if it’s less willing to slip into showboating oversteer than its unmodified sibling. It’s a serious track car, so such silliness would be superfluous.
Yet a big part of the GT3 MR’s appeal, for me at least, is its refreshing simplicity. There’s no adaptive aero, differential or damper settings, just a choice of Normal, Sport and Race modes accessed via a steering wheel controller. As a result, there’s no rabbit warren of set-up optimisation to fall down. Instead you can simply get on with the job of enjoying one of the most intoxicating, enthralling and capable driver’s cars to wear a set of numberplates.
