It’s been a rough few years to be a Mercedes-Benz fan. From excessively-lit interiors to the head-scratcher formally known as the AMG C 63 S E Performance to the sheer tastelessness of the Maybach SL, the legendary German brand has been rightfully attracting some criticism. However, for AMG aficionados, something big is on the horizon. A new AMG GT Black Series is coming, and it’s a full-on homologation special in the pursuit of GT3 racing dominance.
Back in 2014, Mercedes unveiled a simply magnificent sports car called the AMG GT S. A front-mid-engined marvel with a rear-mounted transaxle, a 3,462-pound curb weight, and looks to stun. Not only was this a more attainable successor to the gullwinged SLS supercar, but it would make the perfect base for a GT3 race car. Indeed, that’s exactly what AMG did. With zero creature comforts, extensive use of carbon composites, and the old 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8, the curb weight of the AMG GT3 dropped to a reasonable 2,866 pounds.
While the general formula’s been tweaked over the years, GT3 race cars based on the old AMG GT have always been competitive. Daytona, Sebring, the Nürburgring, you name it, there’s likely a class win. The current AMG GT3 has already gone through one round of technical updates, resulting in the AMG GT3 Evo of 2020, and it’s still a competitive car today. However, the past few years made it seem like Mercedes-AMG was running into a replacement problem.
Production of the first-generation AMG GT wrapped up three years ago, and the second-generation model is less like a German Corvette and more like an SL with a fixed roof. It gained rear seats, optional all-wheel-drive, changed its proportions, and really bulked up. The current AMG GT 63 weighs a whopping 4,343 pounds, and that’s not an ideal starting point for a track weapon. Balance of performance rules have generally caused the current GT3 pack to bunch up in a range from 2,646 to 2,866 pounds with outputs ranging from about 500 to around 600 horsepower. Where are you going to pull nearly 1,500 pounds from?
As it turns out, Mercedes-AMG is going to be pulling weight from just about everywhere. We’re talking about a raft of changes so comprehensive, the requisite homologated street car looks wildly different from a standard AMG GT even underneath a camouflage wrap. It seems epically wider, with huge fenders and a sheer kammtail that’s a radical departure from the normal car’s rounded rump. The new nose is seriously low, the dash-to-axle ratio seems longer, and Mercedes-AMG even seems to have fitted standard door handles. Essentially, this is a different car than the one your dentist takes golfing, and that’s before we get to the aero package.
When it comes to downforce apparatuses, this new car is right up there with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. A dinner-table-sized swan-neck wing is only the beginning, for the rear diffuser can house a family of four, and that front splitter isn’t messing around. A vast, eclectic array of scoops and vents directs air through and around the body, and the end result is extreme enough to revive a storied nameplate. The roadgoing variant is the new AMG GT Black Series, a designation reserved for only the wildest machines to come from Affalterbach.
As for the track-only AMG GT3 variant, it’s going up against some serious competition. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Ford Mustang GT3 Evo, Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, and BMW M4 GT3 Evo are all serious machines with trophies under their belts. At the same time, Toyota is looking to join the party with the GR GT3, and the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 is seeking to prove itself. If the new Formula 1 regulations for 2026 bore you, now’s a good time to flip over to IMSA or WEC or VLN for some seriously close sports car racing.
Of course, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and AMG GT3. What they’re powered by, how quick they are, what they’ll cost, and even the extent of their chassis engineering. However, they do effectively seem like the sorts of supercars that won’t command a seven-figure price tag yet are absolutely exciting. More importantly, it feels like AMG is back doing completely mental stuff, a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
Top graphic image: Mercedes-Benz
With the current gen weighing 4,300+ pounds, it’s truly the Mustamg GT.
The difference in dash-to-axle makes me wonder if this new Black Series model has a completely different body than the other GT models. Like, the proportional changes look way more than just “we slapped a widebody on it.” Stoked to see the reveal.
It’s not really a homologation special, the GT3 homologation rules are based on a production 2-door car with an engine based on something from the manufacturer placed in roughly the same place as the road car, all the suspension/aero/subframes can be/are wildly different from the road cars on which they are “based.”
That said, I’m glad Mercedes is making the GT Black Series to look like the GT3 car, but I’m sure it’ll feature active aero (banned in GT3), will make more power than the race car, have active suspension (also banned), probably some sort of hybrid system (again, banned).
Not great, but not obese either. Consider that the street version weighs an extra 1,500 lbs…