Mercedes Benz Amg Gt3 2016
2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 track test review: Rear view mirror
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Andrew McLean straps into the wild Mercedes-AMG GT3 racer.
Wings are for birds, butterflies and fighter bombers, right? Yep, but for a completely different reason, they've also become critical for modern racing cars like this, the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Its assortment of wings are not there to help it soar, but instead to keep it firmly grounded... and fly around racetracks as fast as possible.
The GT3 is, as its name suggests, the racing version of the AMG GT - the flagship two-door sportscar created exclusively by Mercedes-Benz' high-performance division - and developed to suit global GT3 rules for competitions that include the Australian GT Championship and the Bathurst 12 Hour.
It replaces the previous AMG SLS GT3 that won numerous high-profile events including the 2013 Bathurst enduro and chalked up its first international victory in the Australian Grand Prix support races at Albert Park in March.
And anyone can drive it. Well, anyone that progresses through Mercedes-Benz' multi-tiered Driving Academy courses and stumps up a couple of grand to participate in the company's new top-level track day.
Today, we're given a sneak peek at what that consists of at Sydney Motorsport Park, including a brief three-lap stint behind the wheel of the bewinged beast.
Before we strap into the pilot's seat, the AMG GT3 is more than a pumped-up version of the road car. While it utilises the basic aluminium structure of the GT, almost everything else is purpose-built for motorsport including its wider, lighter carbon fibre body, its pneumatically-operated seven-speed transmission, fully-adjustable double wishbones suspension, massive brakes and those wings, which, including the massive front splitter that projects out of the leading edge like a sour bottom lip and is supported by flip-ups ahead of the front wheel as well as the huge rear spoiler, develop plenty of downforce.
Guided by rules that ensure the huge variety of GT3 machinery - which ranges from mid-engined supercar rivals such as the Ferrari 488 GTB, Audi R8 and McLaren's 650s to luxury models like the Bentley Continental GT and BMW M6 and other front-engined sports cars such as the Aston Martin Vantage and Nissan GT-R - the level of performance is balanced through the aerodynamics and engine performance.
Speaking of which, the AMG GT3 is powered by the tried-and-true 6.2-litre naturally V8 rather than the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the road car, simply because it is more cost-effective and reliable for customers (with an engine re-build required after 22,000kms). With 32mm air restrictors limiting its peak power (as part of the balance of performance), the AMG GT3 produces around 397kW - significantly less than the road-going SLS, which produced 466kW in the top-spec Black Series - but, thanks to its massive slick tyres and lighter overall weight, it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed of around 275km/h.
Climbing aboard the AMG GT3 is not as elegant a process as it is in the road car, simply because of the cabin's high-tech safety systems. There's obviously a fully welded-in steel roll cage to squeeze through first before dropping into the low-slung carbon fibre safety cell, which integrates a snug racing bucket seat with a six-point harness and has wings on the headrest for added side protection. Thankfully, the tiny F1-style steering wheel (if you could call it that because it's not round at all, but an X-shape with handgrips on either side and a litter of buttons on its face) is removed from the column to make it a little easier.
Once strapped in, you sit low and with your legs stretched-out flat into the footwell and pedal box which features an oversized brake pedal in between the clutch and accelerator. It's a weird driving position compared to a conventional road car that, along with the roll cage and the seat, limits your peripheral vision but looks and feels like a genuine race car should.
Perched in front of the wheel is a fully digital display that is dominated by the gear position indicator in the middle but features myriad of numbers around that (lap times, engine temperature, oil pressure etc) and a series of LED lights across the top that flash while the revs rise as a gear shift indicator. In the centre tunnel of the car is even more buttons and switches to adjust functions such as the traction control and anti-skid brakes as well as the fire extinguisher and main ignition switch.
Firing the GT3 into life is, surprisingly, a relatively simple process; press the starter button on the steering wheel and the brutish V8 whirrs on its starter motor before erupting into a cacophony of noise that reverberates through the cabin thanks to the side exhaust pipes that exit just outside the door. It's a great noise too; and a reminder of just how epic Benz' atmo-fed V8 is.
Getting underway, however, isn't as easy; depress the meaty clutch pedal and flick the right paddle shifter on the steering wheel to engage first gear and then bring up enough revs through the short pedal throw of the accelerator before easing the clutch out without stalling - or, on the flip side, looking like an amateur and riding the clutch. Get it right and the GT3's drivetrain clunks together with all manner of mechanical noises and the car lurches forward with its 40km/h pit lane speed limiter engaged.
Out on the track, and let loose of that limiter, all those noises build and meld together into a symphony of speed that rises into a crescendo after an initial exploratory lap to get comfortable with it all.
On a flying lap, extracting the GT3's ultimate potential requires a mix of lightning-quick reflexes, super skills and blind faith that its downforce will keep the car planted through the turns. But, even for an average punter, getting a taste of what that sensation would feel like is surprisingly easy as the gearbox is quick and intuitive, the engine is progressive in the way it delivers its power and the electronic safety nets can be tuned to ensure you don't overstep its boundaries.
But, no matter what level of experience you have, it is unquestionably fast. Heading down Eastern Creek's front straight at the top of fifth gear, we hit around 260km/h before a gentle dab of the brakes to slow things down into the super-fast first turn, where those wings suck it to the ground.
They also help keep it stable on the heavy stop into the turn two hairpin, which requires a big stab of left-foot braking to slow things down.
It's here where the GT3's razor-sharp front-end comes to the fore, the car rotating immediately and slicing its way to the apex with only a small input required through the wheel. The steering is so sharp, in fact, that it requires a complete re-think of how fine your movements need to be; if you're too aggressive it will easily dive in too hard and upset its balance. Get it right though, and it'll strain your neck muscles with the lateral g-forces it generates.
As for getting out of the corners, you have to be equally as restrained with the throttle out of tight corners as, even with its downforce and traction control, the rear-end can easily be provoked to break loose and slide.
Where the GT3 machines are staggering though is through the fast and flowing stuff, where you have to rely more on those wings to glue it to the road at speeds you think are physically impossible.
Even after three laps, I extract myself (as ungracefully as I got in) with a lather of sweat from combating the g-forces. But I'm also giddy from the excitement of man-handling Mercedes' be-winged beast.
| 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 | |
| Price: | $575,000 (approximately) |
| Engine: | 6.2-litre V8 |
| Power: | 397kW at 7500rpm (estimated) |
| Torque: | 650Nm at 4750Nm (estimated) |
| Transmission: | 7-spd semi-automatic, RWD |
| Fuel use: | N/A |
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