Like all Mercedes-Benz models with a bent toward performance, the new AMG GT and GT S will get a Black Series model “sooner or later,” according to a report in the U.K.’s Evo magazine, quoting AMG chief Tobias Moers.
But think later and not sooner for that particular delight: “There is more to come from the GT first, though; more variants,” said Moers. Given how good the GT is shaping up to be, this is music to our ears.
What kind of GT models are we talking, here? We posed the question to Brandon Cote, manager of exclusive vehicles for Mercedes-Benz USA, who confirmed that “there will be many variants of the vehicle . . . some that would be very good track vehicles that would happen before [a Black Series].” Cote did not get specific about exactly what the variants would be called or how they would be configured, but he suggested to us that some would be “truly track-ready vehicles,” and other possibilities could cater to more of a “lifestyle” customer.
Last month, we discussed the possibility of a track-oriented GT3 model that could form the basis for its own single-marque racing series, but we could also imagine a model along the lines of the Porsche 911 GTS occupying a slot one step up in power and fury from the 503-hp AMG GT. A roadster model and its attendant spin-offs would be a logical extensions for the sports car, but any droptops could cannibalize the slow-selling SL-class, so those may take awhile to appear. All-wheel-drive versions seem eminently possible, too, but you can definitely rule out wilder takes like a shooting brake or a four-door.
Cote said that the GT “represents the new beginning of AMG” and is the centerpiece of the AMG brand, just as the 911 is the core model for Porsche, but emphasized that the GT would not try and answer all 20 current variants of the 911. He did hold the 911 up, however, as an example of model proliferation in which most of the niches between the base model and the rock-star track model is filled. “We’re good at seeing where there’s white space in the market and filling it—quickly,” Cote said.
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But back to the Black Series. Cote said the Black Series likely would follow the same modification program as other Black Series models. “If you look at SLS Black Series, it would be a very similar program to that.” That car was stripped of much of its sound insulation and infotainment components, given a bit more power, a stiffer suspension, myriad carbon fiber components, and purposeful body addenda to keep it planted firmly on the ground. As for when exactly to expect the AMG GT BS, such models tend not to appear until the last two or three years of a vehicle’s life cycle, which tend to run about seven years at Mercedes-Benz. That means you have until at least 2018 to save up.
Car News Magazine – Source: caranddriver.com
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