The now "old" 911 Turbo S 991.2 can still pack a mean punch with the help of Manhart
by Kirby Garlitos, onThe Porsche 911 Turbo S (991.2) remains a stellar sports car even with the arrival of the 2021 911 Turbo S (992). This is important because Manhart Racing has developed a new tuning kit for the 911 Turbo S 991.2 that will make you forget all about the shiny new 2021 911 Turbo S.
In true Manhart fashion, this new program is loaded with upgrades with a decal set, a new exhaust, a new set of wheels, and a significant engine upgrade program that boosts the Porsche’s output to supercar-like levels.
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2020 Porsche 911 Turbo S 991.2 by Manhart
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What Upgrades Does the Manhart 911 Turbo S Have?
Visually, you can immediately point the items on the 911 Turbo S 991.2 that came from Manhart. There are no aftermarket aerodynamic parts on the German sports car, but there are those racing decals that give the 911 Turbo S a splashy appearance. It doesn’t do much in the way of improving the sports car’s downforce, but it’ll attract a lot of eyeballs, which, I suppose, is just as flattering for owners of a 911 Turbo S 991.2 that’s fitted with Manhart’s program.
The best part about the exterior is the new set of wheels.
It’ll cost you an arm and a leg — more on that later — to acquire this set, but Lord have mercy, those 21-inch Levella LVL1.1 gloss black, monoblock wheels with the yellow trim that matches the Porsche’s body paint are to die for. They’re stunning on their own — we’re suckers for a lot of spokes — but they look even better with a 911 Turbo S 991.2.
If your budget is an impediment, there is the option of getting the cheaper 21-inch TechArt Formula IV rims with the silk matte black finish. This set isn’t as fanciful as the 21-inch Levellas, but it still goes well with the 911 Turbo S.
Is the Manhart Update for the Porsche 911 Turbo S Worth it?
The racing decals and the new set of wheels are great. The ability to personalize the exterior and interior of the 911 Turbo S 991.2 is awesome, too. But if you’re going to buy this program for your 911 Turbo S 991.2 from Manhart, you’re going to do it because of what the tuner prepared for the 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine.
Depending on your presence, you can dial up the output of the 911 Turbo S 991.2’s twin-turbo unit to as much as 650 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque.
Incidentally, the 650-horsepower output that’s generated from this software tune is around the same output of the production 2021 911 Turbo S 992-generation.
The gains are decent, but you’re not buying Manhart’s program because it can replicate the output of the next-generation 911 Turbo S. No, sir. If you want to get this kit, you should get it because it would lay waste to its production-spec successor.
For that to happen, you need to avail the TR700 performance kit, which adds a new intercooler, downpipes, catalytic converts, and a stainless steel exhaust to the ECU software upgrade. All things considered, the TR700 kit ratchets the output of the 911 Turbo S 991.2’s twin-turbo straight-six unit to 713 horsepower and 676 pound-feet of torque. Now we’re talking, right?
If you really want all the smoke, you should bypass the TR700 kit for the TR850 tuning program. It’s absurdly expensive, but this program has it all. From the software tune to a new intercooler, downpipes, stainless steel exhaust, and, most importantly, new turbos, Manhart’s TR850 program covers everything you need for a significant engine upgrade.
The result speaks for itself, too, as this kit raises the output of the straight-six engine to 850 horsepower and 804 pound-feet of torque.
According to Manhart, the TR850-equipped Porsche can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in only 2.4 seconds and from 0 to 124 mph in 4.9 seconds. The 0-to-60-mph time is 0.2 seconds faster than the stock 911 Turbo S 991.2 and just 0.1 seconds off the pace of the 911 Turbo S 992. It’s unclear if top speed increases from the capped 186-mph top speed.
How Much Does a Manhart Upgrade for the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cost?
It’s impossible to quote a specific price for Manhart’s program because of the option to personalize the exterior and interior. That said, most of Manhart’s upgrades come with attached prices so, at the very least, you get a good idea of how much you’re going to spend on this program. The decal set, for example, costs €973.82. That converts to $1,152.
A set of the Levella wheels will set you back €8,480.67, which is a little over $10,000 based on current exchange rates. The cheaper set of TechArt Formula IV wheels costs €5,623, or around $6,655. The program also includes sports springs from H&R (€428.91 - $508) and carbon and ceramic tailpipes that cost €682.35 ($807) apiece.
Then there are the engine upgrades.
The most basic of these programs is the software mapping that costs €3,995.66, or $4,730. Opt for the TR700 kit and that’ll beat your wallet to the tune of €15,049.48 or $17,812. The big daddy program is the TR850 kit and costs a whopping €27,186.79. That’s almost $32,000 based on current exchange rates.
Final Thoughts
Tuning programs, especially those from noted tuners like Manhart Racing, are built with top-level quality. You don’t get half-assed kits from these companies so it’s not a surprise that the new TR850 program covers a lot of what you want in a program for the mighty 911 Turbo S. The flip side to getting such an excellent program is the price you’ll have to pay. In this case, you stand to pay close to $60,000 for the full kit, and that doesn’t include any of the personalization options that you may or may not avail. In other words, the TR850 kit is expensive, but it’s expensive for a reason. Pay for the full boat and your 911 Turbo S 991.2 instantly turns into a bonafide supercar. That’s a fair trade-off, right?
