2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Race Car

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Sabre
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2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Race Car

Post by Sabre »

Car and Driver

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Mercedes’ GT3 racer starts life in the same Sindelfingen factory as the street-going Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S. The body-in-white is then shipped over to Affalterbach, where AMG completes the race car to meet FIA GT3 regulations. All the body panels, including the massive fenders that swell the car’s width by 4.4 inches to 80.7, are crafted from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Suspension components are fabricated and welded in steel, the only carryover parts being the front upper control arms. Little of the consumer model’s lush interior remains identifiable, save for the basic dash and console shape, a circular vent or two, and the wiper stalk, which will play a critical role for us at Misano today.

AMG invited journalists here to drive the first two GT3s it ever built: Prototypes 1 and 2. Vinyl-wrapped in flat gray and sporting a big vertical-bar grille, they look absolutely menacing at rest, before the side pipes start growling. It’s impressive how clean these cars are, inside and out. Many race cars, even at the GT3 level, have gaps between body panels big enough to swallow your knuckles. Not this one. The tight, even panel fits are nearly production-car perfect.

Mercedes-AMG sells these cars to customer teams, for the princely sum of €372,000 (about $420,000), so minimizing initial and operating costs is critical. This is why, according to AMG factory driver Thomas Jäger, the cars use the older naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 rather than the production model’s turbocharged 4.0-liter unit. A turbocharged engine adds a level of complexity that increases cost in the long run. Asked if he ever short-shifts to preserve the engine in an endurance race, Jäger responds, “There’s no point. The engine is bulletproof.” AMG sure seems to think so: It recommends a factory rebuild only every 12,750 miles, a distance Jäger says might take some teams two racing seasons to accumulate. The gearbox, a six-speed transaxle co-developed with Hewland, is a different story, requiring a rebuild at 6200-mile intervals.

Running five familiarization laps of Misano in a street-grade 503-hp GT S before moving into the race car highlights the major differences between a car you could commute in—albeit one that can accelerate to 60 mph in three seconds flat and corner at 1.05 g—and its weaponized sibling. The GT3’s seat, really more an open void, does not move; instead, foam inserts are made to fit each driver. The pedal box adjusts fore-and-aft using a nifty toggle on the console that’s accessible to the driver. Keeping the seat location fixed limits chassis-balance changes when drivers swap stints during endurance races. The steering device—to call it a “wheel” seems wrong because it’s not round—adjusts for rake and reach and is covered in buttons for race-day necessities. Six-point belts hold the driver in place without limiting accessibility to all the controls on the console, including adjustments to brake bias, programming of the ABS and traction control, and the hazard lights.

There is a clutch pedal in this car, but it’s deliberately hidden because racers use it only to get the car moving. A lip on the left edge of the brake pedal keeps your left foot from sliding off and accidently finding the clutch mid-lap. Shifts are executed with paddles sans clutch operation. If you’ve ever power-shifted one of Detroit’s finest muscle cars, shifting a sequential trans resembles those thrust punches, only it happens faster and without the anxiety of mechanical abuse.

The 6.2-liter V-8 may be German, but it sounds Italian when winding out to its 7500-rpm redline. With the 36-millimeter intake restrictor in place, it makes about 550 horsepower, but the GT3 doesn’t feel as quick as the turbocharged street model, at least initially. This AMG is slammed to the ground and you sit so low that the long hood dulls the sense of speed. Quickly, though, we learn that the race car is much quicker, covering the ground between turns in significantly less time.

With a homologated weight of 2833 pounds, the GT3 is more than 800 pounds lighter than the road car. Above 50 mph or so, the aero devices come into play. There’s a giant rear wing, a front splitter and dive planes, and an underfloor diffuser, all working to push the car down onto the tarmac, increasing the load on each tire, and thus grip. You notice the downforce most when braking. Slowing from 130 mph, even in the rain, is drama-free, unless it is for one of Misano’s tighter corners (there are three hairpin-sharp corners among the circuit’s 16 turns). Drop below the aero threshold and the grip disappears rather abruptly. It’s not as dramatic as when you hit black ice in winter, but it’s a similar feeling. The brake-pedal feel dies as the race-tuned ABS works to scrub speed. It didn’t take more than a couple of laps to learn the particulars of the brakes, a testament to the system’s great feedback and sensitivity.
Amazing to read about these cars. They really are something special... and DAMN does it look mean!
Sabre (Julian)
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Re: 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Race Car

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colin

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drwrx
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Re: 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Race Car

Post by drwrx »

Just what I need for the morning commute.
Sometimes I need to get to work NOW!!!
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