Say hello to the most powerful road-legal V8 Mercedes-AMG production car; the AMG GT Black Series. It sits above the GT R to become the new flagship AMG sports car – below the AMG One hypercar – and becomes the sixth Black Series model ever.
This is basically a GT3 racing car for the road. In fact, the active aerodynamics and the flat-plane crank V8 are derived directly from the AMG GT3 racing car. Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that churns out a colossal 537kW of power between 6700-6900rpm, and 800Nm of torque between 2000-6000rpm.
Mercedes-AMG says that thanks to its flat-plane crank the engine offers superb smoothness but also lots of torque at low engine revs. And well, yeah, look at the stats. All 800Nm is available from just 2000rpm. This type of engine also produces a unique soundtrack, and it features a ‘hot V’ layout with the turbochargers/exhaust manifold in between the cylinder banks.
Matched up to the engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that feeds into a rear-wheel drive system. Despite being two-wheel drive, Mercedes claims 0-100km/h takes just 3.2 seconds, and 0-200km/h is done in under 9.0 seconds. It also offers an incredible top speed of 325km/h. If you’re wondering, the fuel consumption average is 12.8L/100km.
The AMG GT Black Series isn’t all about speed and power, though. It’s also developed to tackle corners. Buyers can play around with the AMG coil-over suspension setup, which is bolted into a double wishbone layout. Adjustable dampers and AMG Ride Control provide instant fine-tuning, with Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus modes.
As you can probably see, the bodywork is made up of various spoilers, intakes and vents. There’s a huge two-stage wing at the back, with the upper blade offering 20 degrees of adjustment. There’s also a chunky rear diffuser, an almost completely flat underbody, and a carbon fibre front splitter that offers Street and Race adjustment settings.
Speaking of carbon fibre, the roof is made from the exotic lightweight material. So is the bonnet, the rear diffuser, the hatch lid, the coiled transmission mount, and various panels and wings. The front axle carrier is made from lightweight aluminium, along with sections of the bodyshell.
Inside, this is a serious driver’s cockpit. Special lightweight carbon fibre buckets seats hold passengers in, with Nappa leather and Dinamica microfibre used for the upholstery. Orange contrasting stitching adds a certain pop, while buyers can option for the Track Package which introduces a titanium roll cage, four-point harness belts, and a fire extinguisher.
Mercedes-AMG hasn’t provided any details on production numbers or if the model will be available in Australia. It is set to launch next year. See below for the full specifications and highlights.
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series specs
Powertrain
- 4.0 litre V8 biturbo motor with dry sump lubrication, identification code M178 LS2
- 537 kW/730 hp max. output at 6700-6900 rpm
- 800 Nm max. torque at 2000-6000 rpm
- Vmax 325 km/h
- 0-100 km/h 3.2 s
- 0-200 km/h in under 9.0 s
- Engine has a new ‘flat’ and lighter crankshaft with crankpins on one plane – characteristics of an uncompromising sports engine
- New firing order with 180-degree crankshaft angle offset: 1-8-2-7-4-5-3-6
- Advantage: more evenly distributed combustion in all cylinders, more agile throttle response
- New camshafts and exhaust manifolds
- Reinforced AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7G dual clutch transmission for higher torque
- New twin-pipe exhaust system made of thin-walled stainless steel
Exterior
- New, significantly larger radiator trim (inspired by GT3 racing car) with vertical struts in dark chrome
- New, larger front apron with an additional manually adjustable front splitter for racetrack use, with front diffuser in carbon fibre
- New carbon-fibre bonnet with two large air outlets and visible carbon-fibre surfaces
- New carbon-fibre front wings with seamlessly integrated louvres in the body colour
- Lightweight carbon-fibre roof with sunken centre
- New, significantly larger side sill panels with carbon-fibre elements which merge into larger blades at the front and rear
- Black painted carbon-fibre tailgate with small spoiler lip and larger rear windscreen made of lightweight thin glass
- Windscreen in thin glass
- New rear apron with visible carbon-fibre elements, double diffuser, two rounded tailpipe trim elements on the outside left and right, and side wheel arch ventilators
- New, two-piece carbon-fibre rear aerofoil with specially moulded supports in matt black painted carbon fibre, bolted to the carbon-fibre tailgate. Additional electric flap which can be adjusted automatically or manually by means of a button
- Standard AMG 10-spoke forged wheels in matt black, including rim flange with high-sheen finish
- New, exclusive AMG magmabeam special paintwork
Interior
- Specific interior concept in Exclusive nappa leather/DINAMICA microfibre in black with orange contrasting topstitching and matt black carbon-fibre trim, and AMG Interior Night Package
- Standard light AMG carbon-fibre bucket seats with orange contrasting topstitching or AMG Performance seats (standard in the USA, Canada and China. Performance seats are available as an option in all other markets.)
- AMG Performance steering wheel in DINAMICA microfibre with AMG steering wheel buttons and badge with Black Series lettering
- Lightweight door panels in DINAMICA microfibre with orange contrasting topstitching and loop pull handles
- Instrument panel in DINAMICA microfibre with orange contrasting topstitching
- Optional AMG Track Package with lightweight titanium roll-over protection and additional four-point seatbelts and 2 kg fire extinguisher
Suspension
- AMG coil-over suspension with AMG RIDE CONTROL adaptive adjustable damping
- Manually adjustable camber on front and rear axle
- Manually adjustable anti-roll bars on front and rear axle
- AMG ceramic high-performance compound brake system with black brake callipers and white lettering, motorsport brake pads and discs, optimised for fade resistance and temperature stability
Bodyshell
- Carbon-fibre shear panels in front section combined with lightweight integral carrier and carbon-fibre tunnel cross
- Carbon-fibre shear panels in underbody at rear
Materials
- Aluminium lightweight integral carrier at front axle
- Carbon-fibre drive shaft
- Aluminium instrument panel
- Carbon-fibre tailgate and coiled carbon-fibre transmission mount
- Carbon-fibre bonnet
- Carbon-fibre anti-roll bar on rear axle
- Thin glass for front and rear windscreens
Aerodynamics
- High downforce and perfect aerobalance to increase dynamic driving properties
- Aerodynamic measures integrated into bodyshell for lower air resistance and increased downforce
- No separate inlets for wheel arch coolers (coolers are fed with air via enlarged main air inlet)
- Front diffuser has two manually adjustable settings: Street and Race (Race exclusively for use on racetracks)
- Wheel arch ventilation, thanks to integrated louvres in the body colour and side openings in the wings behind the wheels to increase the downforce
- Integrated cool air ducts in the side member panelling for brake cooling at the rear axle
- Largely closed underbody panelling and adapted geometry with longitudinal fins and rear diffuser increase the negative pressure surface area on the underbody and thus also the downforce. The measures interact with the new rear aerofoil concept
- The large twin-pipe exhaust outlets in the bonnet not only discharge warm air, they also direct the air precisely past the A-pillars – allowing an optimum flow of air to the rear aerofoil
- Double rear aerofoil with large upper blade and smaller lower blade
- Both rear aerofoil blades are mechanically adjustable
- Flap on upper rear aerofoil blade adjustable by 20 degrees – automatically or manually by button, depending on the selected drive program or AMG DYNAMICS position – improves longitudinal and transverse dynamics as well as brake balance
