MERCEDES AMG GT – A NEW TRACK WEAPON THAT DOES EVERYTHING BUT RACE

THE HOTROD Mercedes-AMG GT is about to become the ultimate track-day weapon thanks to an all-new model called the Track Series.

Mixing and matches pieces from Benz’s GT3 and GT4 racers with the flagship Black Series road car has resulted in a V8 powered monster with 550 kiloWatts and a top speed of 318km/h.

Only 55 cars are being made, at a price-tag over $500,000 but a couple of Track Series cars are expected to land in Australia for committed fans of the three-pointed star.

Details of the car are confirmed by the head of AMG Customer Racing, Stefan Wendl, during a brief visit to Australia for the Bathurst 12-Hour race.

He confirms the circuit-only focus for the Track Series, which is becoming a higher priority for owners who want cars to hot lap without going racing.

“When we found the Black series was sold out we were thinking of taking the GT4 car and making an edition out of it. Something special. But cheaper,” Wendl tells Auto Action.

“Then we discussed internally what can we do out of it. And we discussed merging those two ideas.”

Wendl’s team told Mercedes-Benz management they wanted to put the Black Series engine – a twin-turbo 4-litre V8 making 537 kiloWatts – into the new car.

“We were very nervous when we went to the Board. We asked for 200,000 Euros to make something happen.”

It did, with a dyno and tuning session that liberated 507 kiloWatts and a follow-up track run in Germany.

“We brought the car to Hockenheim and we had 690 horsepower. This GT4 car was blowing the tyres off in a few laps. And it was only three seconds off the GT3 lap time,” Wendl says.

“We knew we could find customers. Immediately afterwards we got the go to make something out of it.”

The something runs to everything from the Black Series rear wing to racing wheels and tyres, as well as the AMG GT race cockpit with special wheel, instruments and seat.

“Last weekend we finalised testing for the Track Series.

It’s got Black Series engine, Black Series bodywork – without the active elements – and we took from the GT4 the chassis, everything inside with the safety cell, and the monocoque.

And from the GT3 we took the wheel dimensions to get the maximum footprint.”

Wendl cannot confirm a price or delivery dates, but, with Triple Eight now acting as agent for AMG Customer Racing in Australia, he is expecting at least a couple of cars to land down under.

Check out more Road and Track content in the next issue of AUTO ACTION.