RE: Mercedes-AMG GT3 testing?

RE: Mercedes-AMG GT3 testing?

Friday 27th March 2015

Mercedes-AMG GT3 testing?

The racing version has only just been revealed, but could this be the road car equivalent?



Often the game of 'name the test prototype' isn't too difficult. The car is known to be imminent, an educated guess can be made or the manufacturer just hasn't been too thorough with the disguise. This one's a little different though.

Now this looks promising...
Now this looks promising...
Obviously it's a Mercedes-AMG GT, which is a good start. Now the logical assumption would be that a faster AMG product must be a Black Series. That's how the hierarchy works. But Black Series variants always arrive towards the end of an AMG production cycle - see SLS, C63 and CLK. Given the AMG GT hasn't reached customers yet that seems unlikely. And you call those Black Series arches? Pah.

So what is it? A roadgoing version of the GT3 race car has been hinted at (obviously Porsche will ensure it isn't called GT3) which this car could be. The motorsport GT3 will compete from this time next year so perhaps a road car launch could be tied into that. A lighter, faster, harder AMG GT would really be something special. Where that would leave a potential Black Series in the GT line-up we'll have to wait and see.

Who wants to guess a lap time?
Who wants to guess a lap time?
Anyway, that's to be confirmed. What of the car here? Look at the front splitter for a start! The wheels also look remarkably similar to those on the SLS Black Series and the rear wing seems larger than standard too. Or that could be a trick of the disguise. Either way, it's a damn fine looking car, one that promises an awful lot whatever it turns out to be.

If indeed this is a GT3 road car and the launch will be linked to the race series (feel free to contribute your own theories here), then a motor show debut just prior to the season would surely make sense. Geneva 2016 maybe?

 





[Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]

 

Author
Discussion

British Beef

Original Poster:

2,192 posts

164 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Will thy call it GT3??

Two fingers up to Porsche and good on them if they do - and see them in court!!

vtecyo

2,122 posts

128 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
British Beef said:
Will thy call it GT3??

Two fingers up to Porsche and good on them if they do - and see them in court!!
Missed the Aston story from earlier in the week?

Goofnik

216 posts

139 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
vtecyo said:
Missed the Aston story from earlier in the week?
Right. It'll be the GT III, or the GT8 or something.

Matt UK

17,649 posts

199 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Aston can't afford the legal fees for the sake of corporate chest banging. But Mercedes could if they so decided...

Baron Greenback

6,961 posts

149 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
British Beef said:
Will thy call it GT3??

Two fingers up to Porsche and good on them if they do - and see them in court!!
Glad they named it GT3, hope they asked lotus for permission and was given! Thought what porche did was so petty and stuck up and puts me off them as a company image!

hairyben

8,516 posts

182 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Matt UK said:
Aston can't afford the legal fees for the sake of corporate chest banging. But Mercedes could if they so decided...
yup. hope they do. hopeless case for posrshe with anyone with the $$ to tell porsche to do one.

isn't it sad that the first half dozen posts in response to this relate to porsches legal strops. wkers.

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Got to admit *this* gets my juices flowing in a way the GT and S didn't. They just didn't scream special enough frankly compared to knowing I have the last of the pure big banger Merc V8 in mine. If this is packing 550 then it's game on...

chelme

1,353 posts

169 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Very tempting.

saxy

258 posts

123 months

Saturday 28th March 2015
quotequote all
It won't be called a gt3 Cuz again porsche owns it. And besides they've always called their top models, black

DJRC

23,563 posts

235 months

Saturday 28th March 2015
quotequote all
saxy said:
It won't be called a gt3 Cuz again porsche owns it. And besides they've always called their top models, black
Is a village missing their idiot somewhere?