There’s something absolutely mesmerizing about Manthey Racing‘s “Grello” and its highlighter-inspired paint scheme. However, the bold livery pales in comparison to the wail of the four-liter, six-cylinder spinning to 9,400 rpm and making 590 ponies when not shackled by BOP rules.

Photo credit: Manthey Racing

Tipping the scales at just 2,730 pounds, that power-to-weight is impressive, but not as impressive as how the sorted chassis makes the most of the performance at its disposal. With 4.7-degrees of negative camber at the front axle and 3.7-degrees at the rear axle, the contact patch at full-lean is impressive. Unsurprisingly, the GT3 exits corners quickly, confidently, and without a hint of wheelspin. Slicks, and an impressive aero package, contribute to this car’s incredible poise, but so does the know-how in the Manthey garage. Five-time winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, they know something about making a car that’s able to generate lots of downforce while still retaining the compliance needed to clout curbs at the ‘Ring.

If it weren’t for the abundance of mechanical grip, this car wouldn’t fare quite as well as it does, since it simply can’t match the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and its torquier, twin-turbocharged engine in the faster sections. Yet, the prevalence of slow-speed corners throughout the Nordschleife seem to slightly favor the Porsche, which turns in with a little more certainty and speed.

The two cars and their drivers are so similarly matched that it’s difficult to determine where the differences truly lie. Fortunately, that parity only contributes to a tightly-contested dice game between these two, who take some big risks scything through slower traffic and leaving nothing on the table.