I
t’s one of the wildest cars Mercedes makes. But forget
about ever being able to drive it on the road. All
brutalist aero and thundering V-8, maximum attack
wrought in lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber,
the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT3 is your factory-built
ticket to racetrack glory.
GT3 has become one of the world’s most popular racing
categories for drivers and fans alike, and it’s not hard to see
why. Rather than anonymous high-tech spaceships shaped
in a wind tunnel, GT3 racers look like the road-going
supercars we lust after—Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes,
Aston Martins—and they race on some of the world’s
most iconic tracks, including Le Mans, Daytona, Spa,
Bathurst, and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. (Check out
our coverage of GT3 racing on MotorTrend On Demand.)
The 2020 GT3 is an upgrade of the 2016 Mercedes
racer. Changes include a dramatic new grille that offers
more protection to the front radiators and also previews a
coming face-lift for the regular Mercedes-AMG GT. A lot of
effort has gone into improving durability and reducing the
cost of operation. That sounds like road car engineering,
not glory-hunting, on-the-limit track warriors. But for a
growing number of automakers, developing and selling
GT3 race cars is a lucrative business, fueled by a surge of
well-heeled enthusiasts chasing the ultimate thrill ride.
And just as with a road car, a robust, reli-
able, well-engineered race car is likely to
attract more buyers.
As will good customer service. Order
a GT3—prices start at about $441,000—
and you’ll be invited to a factory racing
tech center for a full briefing on the car. Mercedes-AMG
will also send one of its race engineers to help your team
learn how to set it up, giving baseline recommendations
for things like tire pressures, ride height, wing and splitter
settings, and spring and damper rates.
According to the manual—yes, the Mercedes GT3 comes
with one—the 550-hp 6.2-liter V-8 will only need a rebuild
every 15,500 racing miles, and the transmission every
6,200 miles. A new feature that uses RFID technology
tracks the life of various components such as suspensionAngus MacKenzie
parts. Forget a grizzled race mechanic with a lifetime of
experience; the car tells you when a part needs replacing.
After my stint in the edgy Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Evo a couple of weeks earlier (see story, page 76), I’m
apprehensive as the Mercedes-AMG GT3 rumbles down
the pit lane at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, south of Berlin.
I have the traction control on 1, the most aggressive
setting, and the ABS intervention on 3. But by the end
of the first lap, I’m already channeling my inner Lewis
Hamilton and dialing back the nannies.
It’s thunderously loud, the cabin awash with an
unfiltered metallic feedback loop
of engine noise and transmission
whine. Hand-of-god downforce keeps
it supremely planted through fast
corners and under heavy braking,
and the suspension rides the curbs
with impressive composure. The feedback through
the steering is rich and detailed, and the big V-8, its
NASCAR party-mode soundtrack spitting from a pair of
side pipes, is simply magical, delivering ballistic thrust
with nuanced throttle response.
I had expected to be intimidated by the Mercedes.
Instead, I’m utterly exhilarated. This is a confidence-
inspiring car, its performance envelope a broad runway
you feel empowered to explore rather than, as in the
Huracán GT3 Evo, a razor’s edge you struggle to find.
Should I win the lottery, this predictable, bulletproof
Mercedes would be my GT3 race car of choice.
Mercedes-AMG team driver Maro Engel, who helped
develop the car, is pleased to hear this. “The feedback
from our gentleman drivers is they can get closer to the
pros in our GT3 than in other cars.” And that, right there,
is the genius of this car. It’s tough to build a race car that
works for gentleman drivers yet still has the pace, preci-
sion, and poise a pro driver craves. But that’s exactly what
the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT3 delivers. QSome carmakers
have their GT 3
racers created
by third-party
race engineering
shops, but
Mercedes has
engineered
and developed
its GT 3 at its
headquarters in
Affalterbach.Angus MacKenzie gets a briefing on the Mercedes-AMG
GT3 before his laps at EuroSpeedway Lausitz.NEWS OPINION GOSSIP STUFFReady to Race: Factory-built GT 3
race cars are the ultimate thrill ride
The Big Picture
98 MOTORTREND.COM FEBRUARY 2020