As much as the purists tend to hog the megaphone and dictate what ideal Porsche ownership is supposed to look like, many of us still can’t wait to personalize our cars at the first opportunity. Even the plethora of factory configurations for a new build aren’t usually enough to satiate our bespoke urges, and picking up a used car—which already has someone else’s vision imprinted on it—can leave a lot to be desired from the get-go.
The reasons for wanting to modify our P-cars are born from a variety of origins, but as a premium sports car brand, a bias naturally leans towards an intention to improve road and track (and sometimes even off-road) performance. As a derivative of doing so, the enhanced aesthetics of the car after the fact—typically brought upon by notable aerodynamic modifications—are often also coveted by a demographic which doesn’t necessarily care as much for lap times or road feel.
There just happens to be a healthy selection of quality solutions to pick from, and in this article we’ll discuss which options might be best for you based on your preferences, goals and budgets when it comes to extracting the most performance or pleasure out of your car. I’ll be focusing on reputable and trustworthy companies which offer “kits”—typically consisting of an elaborate aero package along with certain suspension and braking modifications which can be purchased separately or as a more “bang-for-buck” bundle.
For the purposes of this guide, I’ll leave out much mention about power adders (turbo kits, elaborate intake/exhaust upgrades, etc.) and save that topic for future consideration. While adding more power universally applies to the performance equation, any outfits which don’t explicitly offer these “kits” in their catalogue won’t be discussed here.
Manthey
We’ll start with Manthey. But not solely on the virtue that all Manthey items are considered part of Porsche’s OEM catalogue, and crucially, do not negatively infringe on any of your car’s existing factory warranties. Granted, this still requires an authorized Porsche dealership to perform any and all of the related installation work in order to keep everything kosher.
Manthey parts are also legitimately impressive, and in concert, are widely known for retaining a desirable balance between road and track performance. This is crucial to the large base of Porsche customers who don’t want to sacrifice the daily drive-ability of their Porsches and wish to maintain a “road car first” policy for their versatile weekend warriors.
Nürburgring-proven and racecar-driver-approved, Manthey kits are thoughtfully designed to incorporate the authenticity of the car’s original design language for more of an OEM+ look, rather than an extreme aftermarket makeover, so that your Porsche can keep being Porsche-y. All things considered, Manthey parts do have a price premium over the other options out there, but also offer something the rest of the “aftermarket” can’t—backing from the factory.
Examples
Manthey 992 GT3 RS
Manthey 718 Cayman GT4 RSDundon Motorsports
Over recent years, Dundon has become the darling for those who are hyper-focused on making their Porsche cars perform better at the race track. Their ethos, “make an amateur go as fast as a pro”, is ingrained in what they do and tells you everything you need to know about what their end product is designed to accomplish. If you’re obsessed with lap times, and a fraction-of-a-second has an actual dollar value to you, then Dundon will be your choice.
Dundon’s Valkyrie aerodynamics package is perhaps their most visually notable product, aside from the fact that it can improve downforce by up to 4x compared to factory specs. Dundon also collaborates with suspension and braking specialists—MCS and PFC, respectively—to produce finely-tuned and platform-specific improvements to a wide range of GT and non-GT Porsche cars.
They also offer their own suite of suspension arm components required to dial-in your car’s alignment settings, which is crucial for a proper track setup, as well as power-adder packages. Jamie and Charles are also great guys who love what they do and have made it their life’s mission and obsession to make Porsches go as fast as possible on the circuit. Their YouTube and social media channels provide content which not only backs the effectiveness of their own products, but also serves as an encyclopedia of P-car knowledge and a forum for academic discourse.
Examples
718 GT4 Lab Rat Performance Package
991.1 GT3 RS Lab Rat Performance PackageSilver Rocket
As the new kids on the block, relatively speaking, Silver Rocket is quickly catching the gaze of Porsche track rats all over the world. Based in China, the company also has direct access to the Shanghai F1 Circuit, using it as a proving ground to develop and rigorously test their products, while ultimately providing data-driven results to support their quality and efficacy.
Like the other options mentioned in this article, Silver Rocket also focuses heavily on aerodynamic improvements as a means to achieve faster lap times. Their carbon fiber work looks hugely impressive—particularly their dry carbon roll cages—and the product quality and customer service has been very well received by early adopters. Bespoke braking and suspension packages are also offered as part of a complete track build. While their offerings have applications for the 981 GT4, all the way up to the 992 GT3 RS, their current focus seems to be on the 718 GT4 RS platform, for which they offer their most comprehensive suite of products at this time.
The company has a strong social media presence and is highly active on Rennlist—where they are regularly engaging with both current and potential customers on how they can deliver on what their “go faster” demographic demands. If anything, it’s definitely nice to have such a great option like this in the eastern hemisphere which can more conveniently serve the needs of the massive and always growing Asian markets. They do, of course, ship worldwide as well.
Examples
SR 718 GT4 RS EVO 1
SR 718 GT4 RS EVO 2E-Motion Engineering
E-Motion is an industry leader in suspension component technology. Owner Joey Seely’s notable history as a Porsche racing engineer has given him many years to concoct and brew the secret sauce responsible for producing some of the most precise and high-quality Porsche suspension tuning products on the market.
While the company’s focus is unequivocally on suspension improvements, E-Motion is one of the companies on this list that does not “publicly” sell aerodynamic products. However, they can still be procured via their Custom Porsche Build program. They also offer their own brand name brake pads and collaborate with KW Suspensions to offer bespoke and fine-tuned options which have been optimized for use with their in-house suspension arms. They also offer a suite of Cayenne products so that you can turn your kid-hauler into an overlanding all-star.
More than just a product to be slapped on and forgotten about, purchasing an E-Motion suspension package also gives you direct access to Joey, allowing you to leverage his experience in setting up your car properly. The advice he provides is just as crucial, meaningful and impactful as the shiny new spherical ball joints you purchased. As a customer myself, I can attest to the quality of the products and services.
Examples
E-Motion Cayenne Overland
E-Motion Pikes Peak 935/19Vulcan Alpha
Leveraging the know-how that comes from completing thousands of laps around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Vulcan Alpha is the brain child of famous racecar driver and YouTuber, Misha Charoudin. With the Green Hell serving as the backyard for his workshop, Misha and his team of industry experts are able to conveniently and effectively develop, test and benchmark their products on the world’s most demanding proving grounds. Being an icon on social media doesn’t hurt with marketing, either.
Though new to the game, Vulcan Alpha’s growing arsenal of aero products already covers a wide range of makes and models, which currently includes the 992 Porsche 911 GT3. Misha has made it clear that the company’s coverage will continue to expand even more and that delving into the art of active aerodynamics is also going to be part of the company’s future and identity—namely, “Stay grounded, look fly”.
As a serious track enthusiast, it would be amiss if he did not also deliver on the full monty of lap-record-producing equipment. That’s why Vulcan Alpha is also a European distributor for Suspension Secrets, so you can create your bespoke and ultimate track day package through one place. The company has also teamed up with braking specialists AP Racing to ensure that you have the “stopping power” means and know-how which are required to dominate at the track.
Examples
Vulcan Alpha 992 GT3
Vulcan Alpha G82 M4
