2025 Porsche 911 GT3 Is the Fastest Manual Production Car Ever Around the Nurburgring

Dual-clutch transmissions might be faster than good, old-fashioned manuals on track, but that doesn’t mean that three-pedal sports cars can’t still be flipping quick, as Porsche just proved. The new 2025 911 GT3 Weissach Package (992.2 generation) with a manual transmission just recorded an official 6:56.294 lap time around the Nürburgring. That’s a surprising 3.7 seconds faster than the previous PDK-equipped GT3. More importantly, it’s 9.5 seconds faster than the former record-holder for manuals, making the new GT3 the fastest stick-shift production car ever around the ‘Ring.

Of course, the new 911 GT3 would be faster with a PDK than a manual. However, the improvements Porsche’s made to the normal GT3 for 2025 make it so much better than before that, even considering the slower shifts of a three-pedal gearbox, the new model is still faster than its predecessor equipped with a rapid-fire dual-clutch.

“The new 911 GT3 inspires even more confidence at the limit than the previous model. I was faster in almost every corner,” said Jörg Bergmeister, Porsche’s go-to wheelman for these lap records. “We learned a lot from the 911 GT3 RS, especially with the chassis. The car is even more stable on bumps and over the curbs. And thanks to the eight percent shorter gear ratio, there is noticeably more power on the rear axle when accelerating with the same engine power. Even if it would have been a few seconds faster with the seven-speed PDK—with the six-speed manual gearbox, I definitely had more to do on the fast lap and thus also a bit more fun.”

Breaking into six-minute territory around the Nürburgring in a manual transmission car is incredibly impressive, especially in this modern era of dual-clutch/automatic everything. The previous manual lap record holder was the Dodge Viper ACR, which did a 7:01.300 back in 2017. For you mathletes, that isn’t 9.5 seconds slower than the GT3’s new time. However, the Viper’s record was set on a shorter 12.8-mile configuration of the Nordschleife, while Porsche did it on the full 12.94-mile track (its time was verified by an independent notary). According to Porsche, if you extrapolate the Viper’s lap out to the full 12.94-mile track, it would be 7:05.8, which is where Porsche gets its 9.5-second improvement.

That Viper packed 645 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque from its naturally aspirated V10, by the way. The 911 GT3 makes 502 horsepower and 311 lb-ft from its naturally aspirated flat-six. Porsche is doing more with less, proving that low weight and handling are more important than power.

Making this record even more impressive is the manual GT3’s rear end. If you want to row your own gears, Porsche will only give you a mechanical limited-slip rear differential. If you want the faster, more precise, and more stable electronically controlled limited-slip diff, you need to upgrade to the seven-speed PDK transmission. So the manual car didn’t only have slower shifts, it had a less capable rear differential through corners.

And if you’re wondering what tires the manual GT3 was running, wonder no longer: They were road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R N1 tires.

We all know dual-clutch transmissions are better for track work, with their lightning-fast shifts and ease of use. However, it’s awesome to see Porsche still giving enough attention to manual transmissions that it’s setting records with them in 2025. The manual doesn’t need to die, folks, and Porsche just proved it.

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