2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series

The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is only the sixth model to feature the "Black" designation. These models are a step above the full-fat AMG models, which seems like a crazy idea, right? Someone - probably Chuck Yeager - drove an AMG and thought, "You know what this needs? More power!" But the GT Black Series is not a GT dialed up all the way to 11. The Black goes beyond 11 and all the way up to 17. Possibly 20. It's equipped with the well-known 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, but AMG made enough changes to justify a completely different engine code, including changing the way the engine fires by equipping a flat-plane crankshaft. The result of these changes is 720 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, a 3.1-second 0-60 mph dash, and a Nurburgring lap time of 6:48.047 - putting it in the same league as the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Lamborghini Huracan Performante. It has an equally ridiculous $325,000 base price, making this the AMG that costs true supercar money. But as with every Black Series model produced, it's worth every cent.

Looking at the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, you could be forgiven for thinking it has a starring role in the inevitable Fast & Furious 10. It has a massive twin-tier carbon fiber rear wing with an electronically-adjustable upper flap and mechanical adjustment to tune it depending on the needs of the track you're on, a larger air inlet at the front, and a manually adjustable carbon fiber front diffuser. Other style changes include a pair of vents on the hood, a carbon fiber roof panel, wheel arch coolers, and underbody paneling designed to channel air very specifically. As for wheels, they're model-specific forged ten-spoke alloys measuring 19 inches in the front and 20 inches in the rear. A set of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are standard.

The AMG GT Black is 181.3 inches long, 81.7 inches wide including the mirrors, and 50.4 inches tall. That makes it longer, wider, and slightly closer to the ground than the standard GT, despite that height measurement taking into account the huge rear wing. The most significant change in terms of handling is the front and rear tracks. A standard GT has a 66.1-inch track at the front and 65 inches at the rear. The Black has the same 66.7-inch track at the front and rear. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, the Black Series has a curb weight of 3,616 pounds. That makes it the lightest model in the AMG GT range.

Unlike most AMG products with a relatively sedate color palette, the GT Black Series' available hues range from sinister to screaming for attention. The Black's only no-cost color option is, perhaps fittingly, Black. Three $720 metallic options are available: Obsidian Black, Selenite Grey, and Cirrus Silver. The four designo color options include the $1,515 Diamond White and the $3,950 Selenite Grey Magno, Graphite Grey Magno, and Brilliant Blue Magno. The most expensive offerings are also the most vivid. AMG Green Hell Magno carries over from the AMG GT R, while AMG Magmabeam Orange is new for this model. Both cost $9,900 each.

The GT Black Series follows the same standard recipe as the rest of the GT range. A front mid-mounted 4.0-liter V8 coupled to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission sending all the power to the rear wheels.

But it's not the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 we know and love. AMG's engineering team made significant changes, including changing the engine from a cross-plane V8 to a flat-plane version of the same, resulting in 720 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The sprint to 60 mph takes 3.1 seconds, and it will keep on pulling all the way to 202 mph. Competitors like the F8 Tributo and Huracan Evo get there quicker, but the Lambo has all-wheel-drive traction, while Ferrari's rear-mid engine placement means a better weight balance when launch control is engaged.

The easiest way to demonstrate the GT Black's performance is by comparing its Nurburgring time against the time set by the already manic AMG GT-R. The GT R Pro took 7:04.632 to get around the Green Hell, while the Black set a time of 6:48.047 to get around the full 12.944-mile course and an even crazier 6:43.616 around the shorter 12.8-mile effort. At the time, that made it the fastest production car in the world around the famed circuit.

The AMG team made some significant changes to get 720 hp out of AMG's famous 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The standard cross-plane crankshaft is replaced with a flat-plane unit improving low-down torque, its ability to rev out higher, and overall smoothness. Other upgrades include new camshafts and exhaust manifolds. The hot-vee configuration for the turbos remains, but the twin-scroll turbochargers are equipped with low-friction bearings to improve throttle response. This powertrain isn't as vocal as the standard 4.0L, but the positive attributes more than make up for it.

Once again, we need to compare it to the previous halo model in the GT range to truly show how big a step up this is. The GT R produced 577 hp at 6,250 rpm and 516 lb-ft at 1,900 rpm. The Black Series' 4.0-liter makes 590 lb-ft of torque from 2,000 rpm all the way to 6,000 rpm. Maximum power only arrives at 6,700 rpm and holds steady until 6,900. This means you have an engine with a powerful and linear torque curve that also loves to be revved to 7,000 rpm.

To harness all of this, AMG strengthened the seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle gearbox to cope with the additional torque. The quality of the shift depends on the driving mode. It has Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Race modes. Race mode works beautifully on track, but combining this with the transmission in manual mode offers the ultimate control over the updated engine. Race Mode also engages Race Start, otherwise known as launch control. It's mighty impressive how AMG can get a RWD car with this much power to launch so hard.

The standard AMG GT was already an impressive vehicle, if a bit tail happy in slippery conditions. However, AMG rectified that with the GT R adding a multi-stage stability control system that let you tailor the experience from locked down to full-on drift hero. The Black Series model has the same adjustable traction control, allowing you to choose the amount of assistance you want via an obnoxious little dial located in the middle of the center console.

The Black Series' party piece is the various aerodynamic additions, however. Merc claims they add around 1,764 lbs of downforce at the car's top speed and over 880 lbs at 155 mph. You don't need to push that hard to feel the front splitter and rear wing work. There's a noticeable difference at 80 mph as the front splitter pushes the front axle into the tarmac. That massive rear wing does the same job at the rear.

In addition to a sharper turn-in and more grip, the GT Black Series has three-stage adaptive damping (Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus) and manually adjustable front and rear camber and coil-over springs. It clings to the tarmac like a fat kid clutches a cupcake. You can get it to misbehave, but that's missing the point. One has to learn to trust the aero, and that takes time. Eventually, you'll be confident enough to lean on it through the bends.

Part of this car's charm is the sheer nerdiness of the adjustable suspension. It won't make you more appealing to the opposite sex, but there's something oddly intimate about setting up your car. You won't look cool, but you'll feel good adjusting the setup for Laguna Seca.

While the GT Black Series has a "comfort" setting, it never feels anything but firm. This particular setting should have been labeled "marginally less bone-rattling than Sport mode."

As for the brakes, big power and big speed means you need big stopping power, which is why AMG fitted ceramic composite brakes measuring 15.8 inches up front and 14.2 inches at the rear. Needless to say, the brakes don't fade, and the massive rear wing tips up on hard braking to act as an air brake.

According to the EPA-estimated figures, the 2021 AMG GT Black Series is capable of 15/20/17 mpg city/highway/combined in the USA. That makes it slightly more efficient than the GT R, which has EPA-estimated figures of 14/20/16 mpg. Equipped with a 19.8-gallon gas tank and a thirst for premium gasoline, you could technically manage 337 miles between stops, but that would be missing the point. The GT Black Series isn't a car for hypermiling, it's a car for race track domination at whatever cost.

H2: AMG GT Black Series Interior

The GT Black's interior is both functional and lovely to look at. It comes standard with AMG Performance sport seats. Every surface is covered in high-quality material, but the button layout makes it quite obvious what this car is about. As we mentioned earlier, the adjustable traction control takes center stage, right in the middle of the dash via an unmissable yellow dial. The adaptive damping, traction control, rear wing, and loud exhaust buttons are neatly housed next to the touchpad used to interact with the infotainment system. You also get a quick-access button on the steering wheel for the adaptive damping settings.

This is a strict two-seater with a fixed roof. Headroom is ample at 39.5 inches, but no legroom figure is provided. We've been inside multiple GTs by now, and we never noticed a problem in the legroom department. The standard seats are heated, power-adjustable AMG Performance seats with a memory function. They provide adequate body-hugging bolstering, which you're definitely going to need when using this car to its full potential.

All around the dash and doors, you'll find leather and carbon fiber trim inserts as the only option. Specifically, it's AMG Matte Carbon Fiber Exclusive trim, and it looks good. It feels like a $325,000 interior, thanks to the liberal use of this beloved material, complemented by Gloss Black. As for the seats and the leather on the dash, you can choose between Black Exclusive Nappa leather with grey stitching or Black Exclusive Nappa leather with orange stitching. Both options are replete with Dinamica faux suede center panels, a material repeated on the steering wheel. The stitching is carried over to the dash, and buyers can select silver seatbelts as a $500 extra. AMG carbon fiber door sill trim is another option and adds $1,200 to the price.

You only get 10.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity, but it doesn't matter. This car isn't built for a quick trip to the store or a weekend away with your partner. Its only duty is to drive down to the track, and 10.1 cubes are more than enough for two helmets and the required racing apparel.

Interior storage is limited. There's a neat little storage space underneath the climate control buttons, a small glove compartment, and a storage space underneath the center armrest with the AMG crest neatly emblazoned on the leather cover.

Standard items include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, heated power-adjustable seats with memory, dual-zone climate control, and a garage door opener. Since this car is all about the driving experience, there's nothing to really distract you. You do get a few driver assists such as a legally mandated rearview camera, but also front and rear parking sensors to make sure you don't damage the carbon fiber aero bodywork. There's also a handy frontview camera. Options in this regard are limited to blind-spot monitoring and lane keeping assist, while convenience options are limited to just one - keyless go. The features you're most likely to care about are mounted on the steering wheel, though. Not the paddle shifters, but rather the AMG Drive Unit controls that allow you to switch drive, suspension, exhaust, and aero modes without reaching down to the center console.

The AMG GT Black Series is still part of an older generation of Merc products, and as such, is equipped with the old 10.25-inch high-resolution display running COMAND software. It's not touch-sensitive, and you have to operate it via a rotary central controller. The more annoying touchpad is an optional extra. The infotainment package is loaded with features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, dual USB ports, and HD Radio, but the menus are a little complex to use and the system is slow and clunky overall. To keep things as light as possible, Mercedes only includes a lightweight four-speaker sound system with a 100-watt output. If you aren't as into weight saving as Mercedes, you can add a Burmester Surround Sound system with 640 watts and ten speakers for $1,300, or a Burmester High-End 3D Surround Sound system for $4,500 that packs 1,000 watts and 11 speakers. We wouldn't bother, however.

We're far more interested in the racy instrumentation. The 10.25-inch screen also runs the AMG Track Pace feature which includes various telemetry including a GPS-guided lap timer. Much of this information can also be viewed in the RACETIMER menu on the digital instrument cluster, giving you sector times and lap breakdowns in your line of sight. Considering the application of the car, these features are a lot more important. And besides, if you can afford to buy a $325,000 AMG GT Black Series, you can most likely afford an S-Class for those trips where you need more amenities.

The AMG GT Black Series is essentially an all-new product with a bespoke suspension and engine. Normally, we'd look at previous model years for reference, but it would be unfair to this car since it's so different from other AMG GTs. At the time of this writing, there have been no recalls for the Black Series.

Mercedes-AMG backs the car with a four-year/50,000-mile all-inclusive warranty.

Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has had the opportunity to review the AMG GT Black Series, and it's unlikely they ever will. Considering the standard safety kit, it should hold up well in an accident.

Mercedes has a tendency of asking you to fork out extra for safety features, but in this instance, there are only two optional features. Both blind-spot assist and lane-keep assist are optional extras worth going for and are bundled into the $875 Lane Tracking Package. Standard safety fare includes eight airbags with knee bags for both occupants. The GT also comes with attention assist, LED headlights, front and rearview cameras, parking sensors, Pre-Safe, ABS, and traction and stability controls. And don't forget about the carbon fiber-enforced chassis and massive brakes.

We like the idea of the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. Its grandfather, the CLK 63 Black Series, took no prisoners. That was an angry car with a wicked V8 and a rudimentary traction control system. It would snap sideways for a split second before it cut the power to the wheels. This made for some impressive skid marks, and not just on the tarmac.

The GT Black Series takes a different approach. The various driving modes, adjustable traction control, adjustable suspension, and aerodynamics make it a much friendlier car to drive, and yet it's no less intimidating. We think this car offers enjoyable long-term ownership. It's highly adjustable, which means you can set it up for safety and work up to the more hardcore settings over time.

If a few years ago you'd said that an AMG GT would cost the same as a Ferrari F8 Tributo, we'd likely have laughed and said no one would ever buy one. But the Black Series isn't an ordinary AMG GT. No, it's been thoroughly overhauled from the inside out, and the results speak for themselves. Not only is it a record-setting supercar, but it has supercar presence, too. The final AMG GT assault on the Porsche 911 throne has targeted the GT2 RS, and even if it hasn't outright dethroned the GT2 RS, it's dealt a blow that proves the two are on an even keel.

The price of the AMG GT Black Series is an astronomical $325,000. Fortunately, options are limited, so even all-in with the most expensive paint and all available options tacked on, the MSRP is still under $345k, including the $1,050 destination charge.

There is only one GT Black Series, and it's essentially the angriest GT ever.

In order to create this car, the AMG department focused on three key areas: aerodynamics, suspension, and engine upgrades. We're not talking about some cheap fettling with the ECU to get extra horses, but rather a proper old-school engine rebuild. The team went from a cross-plane to a flat-plane crankshaft. They replaced so many parts, Mercedes had to give the Black Series GT its own internal code. This heavily revised version of Merc's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 develops 720 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque.

On the suspension side, the Black comes with adaptive damping with Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus settings. It also has manually adjustable front and rear camber and coil-over springs, and a nine-stage traction control system.

We find the aerodynamics most interesting of all, however. It has a manually adjustable front splitter, a massive rear wing that is mechanically adjustable, hood intakes, and wheel arch coolers, all made from carbon fiber. Thankfully, Mercedes did not strip out the interior to save weight. The main differences are straps instead of door handles and a model-specific flat-bottom steering wheel made from aluminum and trimmed in microfiber.

The rest is standard GT, which means you get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch multimedia display, dual-zone climate control, and heated power-adjustable seats. The center display comes in three different styles: Classic, Sport, and Supersport. The latter gives you valuable telemetry, which is exceptionally nerdy but also extremely cool.

There's only one package available for the GT Black Series, and it's called the Lane Tracking Package. It retails for $875 and adds blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist. The fixed rear spoiler spoils the view out of the rear, so we'd add it just for peace of mind.

Standalone options include keyless-go and a touchpad controller at no extra charge. You can also opt for one of two Burmester Surround Sound systems. The basic Burmester system retails for $1,300, while the high-end 3D unit costs $4,500.

There's only one model and not much you can do with it apart from choosing the color and your choice of sound system. We had a look at all of the colors on the configurator, and there isn't a single one that sucks. All of them contrast nicely with the 19/20-inch AMG Black Series wheels. You can add a car cover for $370 or one of two Burmester surround-sound systems, but we wouldn't bother, although we would pay an extra $875 for blind-spot assist and lane keeping assist. This is an extremely focused car, and it makes no sense trying to make it more luxurious. If you want comfort and luxury on your way to the track, might we suggest investing in a Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 and a trailer?

The AMG GT Black Series is to the regular AMG GT what the McLaren LT is to the standard McLaren 720S. It has more power, more grip and downforce, and less weight. The Mac is also a more traditional supercar in the sense that it has a mid-engined layout, as opposed to the Merc's front-engine transaxle RWD layout. The Mac's specs are massively impressive: 755 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbo V8. It gets to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and will cover a quarter-mile in less than ten. The Black Series's twin-turbo V8 produces 720 hp/590 lb-ft, which is good for a 3.1-second sprint to 60 mph.

Both are 2-seater coupes, but the McLaren is a little more hardcore inside, where whatever hasn't been removed is covered in Alcantara, and as standard, it doesn't have climate control or a sound system. McLaren will put them back in at no extra cost, however. There's some trick aero to help you blast through the corners and an advanced traction control system to keep you in a straight line that works a little better than the AMG's systems. Some will complain about the interference, but we prefer it in a car that can spin its tires in third gear on a dry track.

Both super sports cars are engineering masterpieces, and we think you can make a case for owning both. The new world is all about embracing the global, so you need a representative from both the UK and Germany in your all-inclusive garage. We'd have the Mac in orange and the GT Black Series in green.

There's a high probability that you already own a GT2 RS if you're interested in buying the GT Black Series. Both are the ultimate version of their respective manufacturer's sportiest model.

The GT2 RS is for the individual who thinks the GT3 is just a bit too tame. So, to fix this problem, Porsche bolted two turbochargers to the flat-six, giving it 700 hp at 7,000 rpm and 553 lb-ft from 2,500 rpm. And all of that power goes to the rear wheels only, with the engine positioned out behind them making for some scary dynamics if you decide to initiate a high-speed drift.

We were expecting the GT2 RS to be a bit of a widowmaker as previous iterations were known. Thankfully, Porsche also has perfected the art of a high-powered rear-engine machine, and the GT2 RS is stupidly fast but not intimidating. It gets to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, only slightly faster than the Merc's 3.1. But the only time that matters here is the time needed to get around the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The Porsche managed to nail a 6:47.3 around the 12.8-mile circuit, beating the Lamborghini Huracan Performante. Then the Black Series came along and rained all over Porsche's parade with a 6:43.61. Over the course of 2021, Porsche returned with a Manthey Racing Performance Kit-equipped GT2 RS - an option available from the showroom - to reclaim the record, setting a 6:38.84 lap over the same distance.

We adore the 911 GT2 RS, and we suspect you do too. There's a misconception that you have to choose between one or the other, but the super-wealthy can afford to have both. These two cars are very similar in many ways but also different enough to justify owning both. The GT2 RS is no longer in production, and if you don't already have one, be prepared to pay a hefty premium. Porsche only made limited numbers, and used examples are currently going for around $400,000. Not bad, considering Porsche only charged $292,200 when it was new.