The fast car fiends at Mercedes-AMG have created a fully-loaded farewell present for fans of its GT3 coupe.
It’s far too fast to race, but the ‘ultimate’ Mercedes-AMG GT3 is already creating a queue at car collections around the world.
Piloted by Andorran ace and three-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner Jules Gounon, this derestricted Mercedes-AMG GT3 claimed bragging rights around Mount Panorama last weekend, setting the fastest lap around the 6.213km circuit for a car with a roof at 1 minute and 56.605 seconds.
Removing the inlet air restrictor required for GT3 racing and fitting an open exhaust to the 6.2-litre V8 – to create one of the best sounds heard at Mount Panorama – released more than 500kW.
A Formula One-style DRS-enabled giant rear wing and active aero in the nose, plus carbon brakes and super-soft Pirelli qualifying tyres, helped it hit 308km/h on Conrod Straight at Bathurst, although the car is capable of 320km/h.
“The horsepower is around 700 (520kW), I would say. It is 40 kilograms lighter,” the head of AMG Customer Motorsport, Christoph Sagemüller, revealed to CarExpert.
“Of course we worked on the aerodynamics, to get more downforce with active aero elements.”
According to Mr Sagemüller, work is well underway on a production model suitable for enthusiasts and collectors.
“There are many customers quite interested. Of course, it is a definite possibility.”
He refused to provide any details on timing or price, but admitted the ‘ultimate’ program had taken more than a year including extensive testing and development at race tracks in Spain and France.
At the same time, Mr Sagemüller confirmed the continuation of piston-powered competition cars at the three-pointed star for the foreseeable future despite the arrival of a new generation of electric cars.
“If the whole portfolio is electric, the racing will be electric as well,” he said.
“It is part of the plan. It is the direction we have to go to.
“I believe in racing there will be the shift, but not tomorrow. I’m pretty sure it will take another five to 10 years.”
Officially, the ‘ultimate’ GT3 was created to signal the start for celebrations of 130 years of involvement in motorsport by Mercedes-Benz.
That is why the car lapped at Mount Panorama wearing #130, even though it wasn’t competing in any of the racing during last weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race.
But it’s also a no-holds-barred celebration of the two-door coupe, which is coming to the end of its competition career.
“This is a really crazy machine. We are still flying. Not to stroll around, it is a fighting machine,” said Mr Sagemüller.
Mercedes-AMG has an impressive record at the Bathurst 12 Hour, with its GT3 hero car taking back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023, but missed out on a hat-trick in 2024 to a Porsche 911.
Even so, it’s continuing to compete with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Mr Sagemüller even confirmed a fresh batch of cars for racers and collectors.
“We are now running out of stock of cars. We are right about to make another run,” he said.“We are now in the investigation,” he said.
Mercedes-AMG has built more than 200 of its GT3 racers in a run which followed the program with the early-2010s SLS ‘gullwing’, but Mr Sagemüller said there as been no decision on the number of cars in the next – and final – batch.
But he was a little more open about the successor car, set for introduction in either 2025 or – more likely – 2026.
“We are already in development of the car. It will definitely take us another two years,” he said.
“The next car has to be at the same level.”
He is cagey about the body of the car but more open about the powerplant, as AMG road cars – including its benchmark C63 hotrod – are downsized to four-cylinder turbo engines with a hybrid boost.
“The engine of AMG will be a nice V8 engine, that’s for sure,” he confirmed.
The GT3 program has been hugely successful and profitable for AMG, even if Mr Sagemüller is vague on some of the details.
“I truly believe customer racing is what it’s about. When we see our customers winning is the best thing.”
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