Recently we put to the test a Porsche 911 GT3 with a dealer installed upgrade engineered by the folks at Manthey racing. Their expertise harnessed the power of the wind to make that GT3 stick to a track like never before. Well thankfully, Porsche isn’t confining all of that aero goodness just to the 911, as a Manthey kit is now available for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. Time for us to hit the track and get a grip.

You don’t have to drive this Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS with the Manthey Kit on a racetrack to enjoy it, but we highly recommend it. High speed track time is what it’s built for after all, as the Manthey Kit is all about doubling the amount of road-gripping downforce in a car that already felt glued to the track.

The added pieces for making all that downforce pressure are obvious, dive planes ahead of the front wheels, an extended splitter up front, and of course you can’t miss those big aero discs on the rear wheels.

The rear wing is 3.4-inches wider, has larger side blades, and more adjustability; the bodywork back here getting some structural enhancements to handle the additional down force pressure. Unlike the 911’s Manthey Kit, here in the 718, you also get a suspension upgrade. That includes a special inverted coilover setup with lots of adjustability.

Without doing a direct back-back comparison, it’s hard to say how much more proficient the Manthey Kit makes the already very impressive GT4 RS, but here around the 2-mile road course at Dominion Raceway it definitely felt stiffer than we remember the last GT4 RS being. But with this car, that’s a bit like comparing a razor blade that was used once, with a brand new one. Is the brand new one sharper? Yes. Are they both insanely sharp? Yes again. Fortunately, Porsche did just such a comparison and the Manthey Kit made GT4 RS 6 seconds quicker around the Nürburgring.

It felt so stiff at Dominion we found it best to stay off the apex curbs, as they tended to shoot us back onto the track rather than letting us shortcut. The Manthey Kit does not deliver any additional power, but the 493 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque coming out of this naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter boxer-six is more than adequate.

With many cars, you can debate whether they sound better inside or out, but there’s no contest here, inside is where it’s at, with the 4.0-liter nestled directly behind you blasting an endless rush of percussive sound that is music to our ears. Around the track, the PDK did it’s PDK thing, which is basically staying one step ahead of us by always being in the right gear; so, we just left it in auto.

And to give us the best possible performance platform, Porsche added the Manthey Kit to a GT4 RS equipped with the optional Weissach package which uses additional carbon fiber and titanium to reduce weight. Upgraded steel brake lines are also part of the Manthey Kit, and the brakes performed as admirably as we expected.

Fantastic amounts of feel, with no fade; but getting on them hard into corners really requires a firm grip on the wheel as those front tires are being shoved into the pavement so hard, they’re grabbing every track flaw with intensity. Track compound brake pads are an option if you plan on using your GT4 RS strictly for track days.

The Manthey Kit adds $53,946 onto the a GT4 RS’ $167,495 base price, meaning you’re in for at least $221,441 before installation fees, Weissach Package, or any other upgrades. So, it really is only worth spending that kind of cash if you’re truly obsessed with making your GT4 RS a standout on the track and the street!

You could spend a lot of time and effort turning your Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS into the ultimate track weapon, or just turn to the folks at Manthey Racing who’ve already put in the hard work and know a thing or two about creating race winning Porsches. You could say that’s taking the easy way, but we’d say it’s taking the best way.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has set the standard for midsize luxury sedans for more than 75 years now. But things are changing rapidly in the auto industry, and even Mercedes-Benzes can’t sit around and rest on their laurels. So, a new E-Class has to be something truly special. Well, let’s find out if this one is.

Few cars have as much history as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Yet it continues to play an essential role in moving the brand ever forward in terms of technology and new design elements. 2024 launches the sixth generation of this midsize luxury sedan.

It looks much like a scaled-down version of the flagship S-class, with stately proportions, fine details, and elegant lighting. But that also means it gets the same retractable door handles, which, to be honest, have outlived their novelty. We get it, aero efficiency, wow factor, but sometimes it’s a hassle waiting for them to deploy, not to mention wintertime when there’s a fresh coating of ice covering them.

No such reservations inside, where an open airy feel, supple leather, and natural grain wood trim are just the starting points of a very luxurious journey. Along the way, you’re immersed in active ambient lighting that will have you feeling like you just got transported to some alternate universe every time you get behind the wheel. Even with very high expectations going in, we were not disappointed in any way.

Rear seat room is plentiful, while fronts are more Euro firm than plush; the gauges look fantastic, and Benz’s augmented reality navigation in the gauge cluster is still one of the best setups in the business. Not to mention the available Superscreen, which not only gives the passenger their own screen but blends it all together into one amazing-looking dash-wide display.

It’s all run by a new third generation of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience, with virtually everything now software driven instead of hardware-based, meaning just about anything can be updated at any time. It includes way more features and gadgets than we had time to fully explore, and, yes, that includes an in-dash selfie cam.

An E 350 is the base model, equipped with a 255-horsepower 2.0-liter I4 turbo sending power to the rear wheels. This E 450 comes standard with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, along with a 3.0-liter inline-six turbo tuned to 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are aided by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and work with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Thanks to comprehensive drive modes, the E-Class’s ride can be as smooth or as sporty as any midsize luxury car out there, and it continued to impress when it came time to get some numbers at Mason Dixon Dragway.

Here, the ‘E’ put some serious power down in a hurry, as we were off to 60 in just 4.2 seconds. Great all-wheel-drive grip too, with almost immediate thrust throwing us back in the seat a little as the car pounced off the line with just a slight chirp of the tires, and it kept pulling strongly all the way down the track. Automatic shifts were very aggressive at first, but they seemed to smooth out in higher gears towards the end of the track, with our best quarter-mile run coming in at 12.8 seconds and 109 mph.

The 450 did great in our handling course too; turn-ins were quick and direct with all-wheel-drive delivering plenty of grip, feeling highly composed and classy throughout the whole exercise.

If stability systems or torque vectoring were happening, it was so far in the background that it was hardly noticeable. What we could really notice is the four-wheel steering. It leaps into action with urgency at times, pivoting you much quicker than you may be expecting. It’s part of an optional Airmatic package which also includes active dampers. Those dampers aided in delivering very calm and stable stops from 60 in our panic braking test, averaging just 99 feet with minimal nosedive.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with the six-cylinder are 22 City, 31 Highway, and 25 Combined. We averaged a good 28.2 mpg of Premium. Rating an average Energy Impact Score, using 11.9-barrels of oil yearly, with 5.9-tons of CO2 emissions.

E-Class pricing starts with the 350 at $63,450, the 450 4MATIC begins at $69,250.

So, the new E-Class, and specifically our 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4MATIC, does not exactly present a bargain scenario, but it is a perfect example of “you get what you pay for” situation. With 75 years of setting the standard in the midsize luxury sedan field behind them, Mercedes-Benz is not looking back, they’re pushing the brand forward with new levels of luxury and tech. All to make the premium Mercedes-Benz experience more desirable than ever.