STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off a wild new racetrack version of the SLS AMG as part of the celebration commemorating its victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana with a modified version of the original Gullwing — the 300 SL.
Set to make its public debut next week at the 2010 New York Auto Show, the dramatically styled SLS AMG GT3 has been conceived to return Mercedes-Benz to top-flight sports car competition and will be sold to selected customers at an as-yet-unspecified price following a homologation process expected to be completed later this year.
The GT3 has been developed in cooperation between Mercedes-Benz's AMG division and HWA, a company headed up by one of the founders of AMG (Hans Werner Aufrecht) that oversees the German carmaker's DTM (German Touring Car) race operations. The new car retains the visual flavor of the road-going SLS AMG but has been extensively reworked in line with the FIA's latest GT3 regulations.
Among the changes is a heavily massaged body enhanced with a race-grade aerodynamics package developed in Mercedes-Benz's own wind tunnel in Stuttgart, Germany. Up front, it is characterized by a deep apron with a full-width cooling duct and prominent splitter element, as well as additional vanes on the front corners that can be adjusted to vary the downforce acting on the front axle.
The long hood has been modified with a large central aperture not included on the road-going SLS. It is supported by sizable vents in the front wheel arches that are used to further dissipate heat from the engine bay and front brakes. Deeper and more purposeful-looking side sills with integrated cooling ducts are also fitted underneath the signature gullwing doors to channel air to the rear brakes and SLS AMG GT3's gearbox — the latter mounted up back in a transaxle layout as in the regular SLS AMG.
The front and rear fenders have been widened to accommodate larger tires than the new Mercedes-Benz's standard 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) hoops. With a width of 78.3 inches, the racecar is nearly 2 inches wider than the standard SLS AMG. The fuel filler has also been relocated to the B-pillar in close proximity to the 31.7-gallon tank, which is located behind the driver.
The rear of the SLS AMG GT3 is dominated by an adjustable wing attached to the trunk lid as well as a large diffuser that sits underneath a modified rear apron boasting two further vents to dissipate heat from the rear brakes, gearbox and exhaust, as well as a pair of enormous trapezoidal-shaped tailpipes.
Powering Mercedes-Benz's latest racecar is a reworked version of the standard SLS AMG's 6.2-liter V8 engine. The dry-sump unit sends drive to the rear wheels via a sequential six-speed race transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddles and a locking differential.
No power or torque figures for the new car have been revealed. They will be determined by the FIA according to its newly announced "Balance of Performance" principle. This is intended to ensure the performance of all cars taking part in international GT3 racing is of a similar level. The classification process, during which the curb weight is also determined, will be completed in 2010.
Mercedes-Benz says the SLS AMG GT3 will be significantly lighter than the 3,571-pound street SLS AMG. Weight-saving measures include a stripped-out interior, carbon-fiber body shell and polycarbonate windows. To ensure the gullwing doors open in a rollover, Mercedes-Benz uses pyrotechnic elements within the hinges mounted within the roof.
Inside Line says: If you thought the SLS AMG was just an SL with fancy doors, the GT3 version is out to prove you wrong. — Andreas Stahl, Correspondent
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