Alastair's BLE 2 Blog: Mercedes SLS AMG GT3

2011年3月24日木曜日

Mercedes SLS AMG GT3

While the wait for the Mercedes SLS AMG roadster version continues on, Mercedes is making the wait a little more bearable by surprising us with another SLS AMG: the GT3 version. The sports car will compete in the 2011 racing season.

The SLS AMG GT3 features a new new front apron with a splitter, the bonnet with central cooling air vent, wider front and rear wings, sideskirts with cooling ducts for the rear brakes, a rear diffuser and the adjustable rear aerofoil.

The race car will be powered by the same 6.3-liter V8 engine, but has been tuned to deliver an impressive +600 hp, a pretty significant spike from the road-going version of the SLS AMG which comes with a "standard" 571 hp.

Also on the interior, the SLS AMG GT3 version will drop all of its luxury amenities, including the air conditioning, navigation and upholstery. Instead, the car’s interior will be stripped down to only include a steel rollover cage, a racing bucket seat with a six-point seat belt and HANS system.

Updated 03/31/2010: The SLS AMG GT3 made its world debut today at the New York Show. And we have new images for you in the picture gallery. Check them out!

UPDATE 10/18/2010: The Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 has won the ninth race of the 2010 VLN long-distance championship at the Nurburgring. Check out the story by clicking here!

Updated 12/03/2010: Mercedes has unveiled a new video of the SLS AMG GT3 showing Susie Stoddart behind the wheel. In this video, Stoddart recalls the tough early stages of her racing career in Scotland and her first hard race on the track against other drivers. Check it out!

UPDATE 01/18/11: The early returns of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 race car turned out to be extremely positive after the car’s first participation in a 24-hour endurance race netted a third overall place finish. The Abu Dhabi 24-hour endurance race, saw the involvement of three teams running the SLS AMG GT3, led by the no.7 Black Falcon finishing third overall behind drivers Thomas Jager, Jan Seyffarth, Kenneth Heyer, and Sean Paul Breslin. Meanwhile, the SLS AMG GT3 Heico Motorsport finished seventh place overall, while the second Black Falcon placed 24th overall. Not a bad start to the SLS AMG GT3’s 24-hour endurance race career.

UPDATE 03/23/11: Mercedes has released an official - and extensive - walk around the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 race car, giving us even more reason to fall in love with this fast, powerful, and highly versatile racer. As a relative neophyte in the world of 24-hour endurance racing, the SLS AMG GT3 needs to be on par - if not better - with the rest of the field in terms of both performance and reliability. If you there’s a video that will show you everything you need to know about the aerodynamic features and performance capabilities of the SLS AMG GT3, it’s this one. Check it out after the jump.

Press release after the jump.

Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 23 March 2011 11:00 EST.