Porsche 911 GT3 R The Bend Manthey EMA No. 91 Heinrich Y. Shahin S. Shahin Schuring 1st Pro-Am Bathurst 12H 2025 Spark Model 1:43

Spark Model's 1:43 scale model reproduces the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.1) entered as car #91 under the combined banner of The Bend Manthey EMA — a three-way operation pairing The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, German factory-aligned outfit Manthey Racing, and Australian preparation specialist EMA Motorsport. The car started from the second-fastest qualifying time overall and finished the 12-hour contest 10th outright while taking GT3 Pro-Am class victory, completing 303 laps in 12:03:18.343.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R 992.1 in Endurance Racing

Unveiled by Porsche in summer 2022, the 992.1-generation 911 GT3 R entered competition for the 2023 season under FIA GT3 homologation. Its 4,194 cc water-cooled flat-six — bore 104.5 mm, stroke 81.5 mm — produces approximately 416 kW (565 hp) at up to 9,250 rpm, channelled through a 6-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox. At 4,619 mm long (without aerodynamic devices) and with a 2,507 mm wheelbase, it is both wider and heavier than its 991 predecessor, yet the 992 platform has already accumulated GT class wins at Bathurst, Le Mans, and Spa.

A Circuit as Title Sponsor: The Bend Livery at Bathurst

The yellow, red, and white livery carried by car #91 is the branded identity of Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend — a circuit that holds a 10-year naming-rights partnership with Shell V-Power and has backed Porsche entries at Mount Panorama since 2024. This arrangement, a circuit sponsoring its own race car, gives the livery an unusual narrative even by endurance racing standards. The four-driver crew assembled around it was equally distinctive: Laurin Heinrich (2024 IMSA GTD Pro Champion, Bathurst debut), Yasser Shahin (defending 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour Pro-Am winner and 2024 Le Mans LMGT3 class winner), his brother Sam Shahin (Porsche Supercup competitor), and 19-year-old Morris Schuring (2024 Le Mans LMGT3 class winner, FIA WEC LMGT3 runner-up 2024, Bathurst debut). Laurin Heinrich set Pro-Am pole with the second-quickest overall time in Q1.

Spark Model: 1:43 Resin in a Run of 300

Produced in resin by Spark Model — the French specialist whose Australasian GT series releases are among the most restricted in its catalogue — this 1:43 scale model is limited to 300 numbered pieces. Resin casting allows Spark to capture the 992.1's complex aerodynamic surfaces, swan-neck rear wing mounts, and the broad rear bodywork (2,050 mm wide on the real car) at this compact scale without the tooling compromises of diecast. The yellow, red, and white Shell V-Power / The Bend livery graphics are applied as part of the production process and reproduce the scheme as unveiled at The Bend prior to the February 2025 race.

In the Display Cabinet: Pairing and Context

At 1:43, the model measures approximately 10.5 cm in length — compact enough for a dense endurance-racing shelf but substantial enough to show the 992.1's wide-body stance. It sits naturally alongside other Spark 1:43 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) releases from the 2023–2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge and FIA WEC LMGT3 calendar, or grouped with the broader 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour field. The Pro-Am class result and the 300-piece edition size position it as a focused acquisition for collectors tracing either the Manthey Racing lineage or The Bend's growing role in Australasian GT racing.