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THE MOST EXTREME MERCEDES EVER

The AMG GT Black Series is the ultimate in what Mercedes-Benz has to offer. Not only in terms of price, but also in terms of performance. Costing over four tons, this road-going racing car makes mincemeat of all its competitors on the track.

Online editing: Natasha Hendriks
Text: Erik Kouwenhoven

Vroom, vroom

Hammering engine noises, screeching tires, sweaty foreheads under balaclavas and grinning faces form the eclectic cocktail of an afternoon of tough driving under the late autumn sun on the Formula One circuit of Hockenheim in Germany. Officially he drives the pace car, which should try to protect overzealous journalists from themselves, but in practice he disappears toward the horizon with smoking tires and we get to try to stay somewhat in his wake. The equipment at our disposal is, in theory, perfectly suited for that purpose. Moreover, the Black Series is Mercedes-Benz's most powerful and expensive car at the moment. And one of the most addictive. Because once you have tasted on the track the enormous downforce and the way this car grips in the corners, you will never want a regular AMG GT again. Apparently, the saying "once you go black you never go back" also applies in the automotive world.

Exclusive rarities

At Mercedes-Benz, they have a strange Maslow's pyramid when it comes to satisfying the needs of the sporty Mercedes driver. Last year, the AMG GT hit the market. Again almost half the price and admittedly not twice as good, but still a car that was presented as the car that would knock the Porsche 911 off its throne. Unfortunately, it did not come to that for Mercedes-Benz. The driving characteristics were good, but not special enough. At least: not in the form of the base model, which moreover lacked just enough charisma to make one forget a fifty-year-old icon. Things got a lot better with the AMG GT R. Indeed, the "standard" GT R was already much more than a marketing model, thanks to its stripped-down interior, carbon fiber brake discs, shorter gears, a different suspension, titanium exhaust, wider semi-slick tires, a revised limited slip differential and - for the first time at Mercedes-Benz - co-steering rear wheels.

Formula One Circus

The engine specialists in Affalterbach have redeveloped the proven 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine. The requirements were clear: considerably more power than the previous top model of the AMG GT family, even better throttle response and maximized speed. One of the most important changes included the use of a flat-plane crankshaft. This provides a quieter running culture and more torque at low revs. The characteristic sound is also typical of this particular crankshaft. The block also received new camshafts and new exhaust manifolds, as well as larger turbos. Thanks to these modifications, the coupe catapults itself to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and to 200 km/h in less than nine seconds. The top speed is 325 km/h. Formula 1-like aerodynamic tricks are also employed around the brakes, wheel arches, sills and underside of the car in order to generate more downward pressure and additional cooling air for the brakes. That they master this matter well at Mercedes-Benz is proven time and again by F1 drivers Hamilton and Bottas.

Hardcore

We drive sessions of four laps behind the pace car: a warm-up lap, three "flying laps" and a cool-down lap. "Gentlemen, this is not a race," Bernd Schneider says over the walkie-talkie a moment later. "There is nothing to win, only to lose. Ride as hard as you can, but don't go over your limits. If one of you can't keep up the pace, I'll wait for you halfway around the circuit." The former "Mister DTM" then got into his AMG GT Black Series and blew out of the pit lane. All we have to do is try to keep up with him. Something that is instinctively not too scary, given the confidence-inspiring feel of the Black Series and the presence of stern but righteous electronic guardian angels. Schneider leaves no stone unturned and immediately goes full throttle after the warm-up lap. We try to follow and immediately notice that the harder you go, the more grip there is. Where the AMG GT still felt a bit unstable and sometimes even tricky, the Black Series sucks in to the asphalt. At times, the AMG GT still felt a bit "loose" and not hardcore enough. The model always remained a Mercedes, so to speak. We drive a car that costs exactly 420,982 euros, but we are allowed to drive on the track just without ESP - something that was expressly forbidden when the AMG GT R and AMG GT R Pro were introduced. It shows how much confidence Mercedes-Benz has in the Black Series. Now let's hope that these cars are not still pushed en masse into basements by their wealthy owners, only to gather dust until the end of time.

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