Just prior to the sheets being yanked from the AMG GT R Pro at the L.A. auto show, I sat down for a wide-ranging interview with AMG bossman Tobias Moers. We discussed everything from the death of the V-12 at AMG (“I think its time has passed. “) to AMG’s autonomous future—like Porsche, an AMG will always have a steering wheel, Moers says. Also yes, you will see a fully electric AMG. Again. Surely you remember the SLS Electric Drive? Moers said around 2023, so that’s still a ways out.
What’s coming up fast is a new Black Series. By fast I mean they begin testing it in summer 2019. Any details? Almost none. I did ask Tobias where a car goes after a track day-focused machine like the GT R Pro (pictured). He smiled at me and said the sixth ever Black Series car, “will be competitive.” I said, “Competitive with what?” His smile grew and he just said, “Competitive.” I thought for a moment and said, “Competitive with the McLaren 720S and Porsche GT2 RS?” The two highest performing cars I could think of that cost less than seven figures. He nodded yes. If you need a refresher, the 720S makes 710 hp and the 911 GT2 RS makes 700 hp.
So there you have it. AMG is going to join the 700-Horsepower Club with the GT Black Series. Of note: Years ago when I drove a prototype of the GT S with Herr Moers in Utah, we spoke at length about the then-new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. That engine had been developed by AMG not only for products from Affalterbach but is now the V-8 used in virtually all Mercedes products. Back then (2014 or so) the CLA45 and GLA45 had just launched with their high-output 2.0-liter turbo I-4s. Tobias told me that the new V-8 was essentially two of those four-bangers stuck together, so yes it would be possible to get 700-plus horsepower out of the M178. Seeing as how the M133 now produces 375 hp from just 2.0 liters, a 750-hp AMG GT Black Series is certainly within the realm of what’s possible. Watch this space.
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