Mercedes-AMG is gearing up to introduce a Black Series version of the muscular GT. The sports car boasts the most powerful production AMG V-8 engine of all time, but it won’t be cheap. As in, it’ll probably cost more than your house, because when it arrives next year, the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series will sticker for $326,050.
Worth it? A true race car for the road, the GT Black Series packs a familiar 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. Instead of making 523 hp and 494 lb-ft of torque like the standard GT, or 577 hp and 516 lb-ft like the current GT R, the Black Series pumps out a massive 720 hp and 590 lb-ft. Power is routed to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Mercedes is estimating a zero-to-60-mph time of 3.1 seconds, and a top speed of 202 mph. It recently became the fastest road-legal production car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, lapping the treacherous and long course in 6:43.616 minutes.
Just about every exterior panel on the Black Series differs from other road-going AMG GT models. For instance, Mercedes reshaped the bumpers, fenders, and hood to improve airflow. The model features a host of motorsports cues, including the AMG GT race car’s larger cooling front air intake and a new carbon-fiber hood. Other goodies include a carbon-fiber front splitter, fenders, and rear spoiler. Inside the cabin, look for Nappa leather seats with suede-like accents, matte-black carbon-fiber trim, and orange or silver stitching.
As we’ve said previously, the Black Series is a major step up from the GT R when it comes to speed, grip, and braking. “The flat-plane-crank V-8 stampedes to 7,000 rpm, a menacing metallic edge to the wall of sound filling the cockpit,” we wrote in our first drive review. We also appreciate that the car allows drivers of different skill levels to find a suitable setup for track driving. If you can swing it, the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series heads to dealerships here in the U.S. in early 2021.
