Mercedes-Benz’s in-house performance arm releases a Black Series model as the halo to a particular range, and that doesn’t happen too often. Well, the time has come for a new AMG GT Black Series. The car was previewed by Mercedes this week, along with its racetrack sibling that will attack the GT3 world.
“We are developing the most extreme Black Series ever. At the same time, we want to set the next record-breaker in motorsport with the future GT3. It is our unambiguous commitment to maximum performance, a promise for the racetrack and the road alike. At AMG, we develop vehicles to exceed expectations. And that is exactly what the future Black Series and the new GT3 will do
– Michael Schiebe, chairman of the management board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH
Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.
A Small Family
The Black Series family is pretty small. Since the first, SLK55, was released in 2006 just six models have worn the illustrious badge. You can learn more about all the Black Series models by clicking here. The most recent of these is the GT Black Series which was based on the previous generation GT. The hard-core sportscar has a twin-turbocharged V8 under its long bonnet. The engine, with a flat-plane crank, produces 537 kW of power and 800 N.m of twist effort. As a result of significant downforce from a bespoke aero kit the car was a one-time Nurburgring lap record holder for production cars. Its F1-powered sibling, the AMG One now holds that title.
Click here to watch the AMG One set its blistering ‘Ring lap.
A New Addition
The current GT range of sportscars was released just a few years ago. The range-leader, for now, is the immensely powerful GT63S E-Performance. GT63S is also powered by a 4,0-litre twin-turbo V8. In this case the ICE produces 450 kW. In addition it features a high-degree of electrification. Mercedes says the GT63S produces 600 kW and a whopping 1 420 N.m of torque. We expect the new AMG GT Black Series to top those figures, as the new apex derivative.
Mercedes has not revealed any technical info, except these pics, but it’s safe to say that the upcoming Black Series (yellow livery) will have a similar base powertrain layout ie the twin-turbocharged 4,0-litre V8 with flat-plane crank. Judging by the pics of the development mule, we can also expect a pretty wild aero kit with massive rear wing and pronounced diffuser. In addition there will be vents and slats for cooling as well as improved aerodynamic efficiency.
A Racing Sibling
Mercedes is developing the next-gen GT3 customer racecar in parallel with the road car. The current GT3-spec racer is still based on the discontinued GT range. The new machine (red livery) will use the current GT platform. However, the company may continue to use the 6,3-litre naturally aspirated V8. This engine has been homologated for GT3 racing and has been extremely successful and reliable since first used in the SLS GT3.
With the unveiling of the concept, we can now officially name the new Mercedes‑AMG GT3, with which we aim to continue the success story in Customer Racing for Mercedes‑AMG Motorsport. Our goal is to once again present a vehicle that sets the benchmark. We have already gained important insights from the initial tests. We are now entering the next phase of development and will also be testing on racetracks relevant to GT Sport
– Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
You can hear both cars in the official video below:
Have your say
Got thoughts on this?
No feedback yet on New AMG GT Black Series and GT3 Racer Previewed [w/video]. Kick the conversation off.
Free. Email link only — no password.