Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series confirmed for Aus

MERCEDES-AMG has confirmed its halo GT sportscar will be offered with a hardcore Black Series variant Down Under, upping the performance over the GT R bruiser that tops the four-variant coupe/cabriolet range.

While the GT Black Series has been confirmed for an Australian arrival, timing and mechanical details of the as-yet-unreleased coupe are still a mystery.

What is known is that the Black Series will offer greater performance than the GT R, with Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific head of media relations and product communications Jerry Stamoulis saying the Black Series will be the ultimate offering in the GT family.

“Historically the Black Series is the ultimate in performance for that series,” he said.

“Everything is just turned up to 11, and it doesn’t always necessarily mean just power.”

The Black Series can be expected to also include suspension and chassis enhancements over the GT R that will allow it to be more nimble around corners as well as faster in a straight line.

Mercedes-AMG has a history of introducing Black Series variants to top their respective line-ups, starting with the SLK55 Black Series in 2006.

The predecessor to the GT, the SLS coupe, received the Black Series treatment in 2012, and its mechanical enhancements could give a hint as to the shape a GT Black Series could take.

In the SLS Black Series, AMG boosted power from its aspirated 6.3-litre V8 engine by 44kW to 460kW, while lowering the centre of gravity and increasing the shift speeds of its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The GT R produces a considerable 430kW/700Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, however, the engine is offered in higher states of tune on other AMG models.

In the E63 S, the AMG V8 is able to produce 450kW/850Nm, while in the luxury S63 torque is raised to 900Nm.

The most powerful tune of the ubiquitous V8 is in the GT63 S 4-door Coupe, which was recently announced with Australian pricing and outputs of 470kW/900Nm.

In the E63 S and GT63 S 4-door Coupe, the power is sent to the road through the 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system, while the S63 employs rear-wheel drive.

All versions of the GT two-door family are rear-drive with a limited-slip differential on the rear axle helping to effectively channel power to the road.

Like the SLS, the GT Black Series can be expected to be the lightest of the GT family with weight-saving measures such as the use of carbon-fibre panels and other lightweight components.

The Black Series could even borrow some of the enhancements from the recently revealed GT R Pro, which is still yet to be confirmed for an Australian arrival.

Honed for a more potent racetrack experience, the GT R Pro employs a tricky adjustable coil-over suspension set-up and torsion bar, a lightweight carbon-fibre rear underbody panel and roof, carbon-fibre bucket seats and carbon-ceramic brakes.

Aerodynamics are also enhanced with two side flics on the front fascia, an extended splitter, larger air intakes and a more pronounced bootlid-mounted spoiler.

When asked about initial local interest in the GT R Pro, Mr Stamoulis said the company would get a greater idea with a pricing announcement, but that there will always be interest in a limited-edition GT.

Local timing for the GT Black Series can be expected to be announced once the vehicle is revealed in production guise.