We haven’t seen (or heard) a Black Series Mercedes for a while, but don’t worry; the brand’s most primal, unhinged vehicles aren’t going anywhere.
“The Black Series name stays,” said Mercedes-AMG Chief Tobias Moers in an interview with Autocar. “It will be necessary in the future, but for now the base cars are so good.”
One base car in question is the Mercedes-AMG GT, which made its official debut last September. While a Black Series version (rendered above) is inevitable, the standard model is potent enough to satisfy all but the most extreme performance cravings, so AMG is currently focusing on steady improvement without losing the Black Series’ distinct ferocity.
“It’s not all about having 900 Newton meters [664 pound-feet] of torque at 2000 rpm,” he said. “It’s about making the cars more sophisticated, more precise. Improving everything a little bit. The GT is first, the C63 second, then the GLE Coupe will be something else again.”
Moers has previously stated that the AMG GT Black Series would only come after Mercedes has created a “full family” of GT cars, and that family recently introduced a new member.
Last month, Mercedes unveiled the AMG GT3, a track-only racecar built in accordance with FIA GT3 regulations. Instead of using a tweaked version of the 4.0-liter biturbo V8 from the standard car, the GT3 equips a variant of the 6.3-liter, naturally aspirated V8 from the SLS AMG GT3. The lightweight car also features aluminum double-wishbone suspension, a six-speed sequential gearbox, and lots and lots of carbon fiber.
Moers also hinted that future performance cars could integrate electric powertrains, saying, “We will need hybrid applications in the future and we have done research for hybrids for AMG. We can offer performance and efficiency and will be able to find solutions.”
