Mercedes pushes the boundaries

Price: £330,000. Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8. Power: 720bhp at 6,700rpm. Torque: 590lb ft. Top speed: 202mph. 0-62mph: 3.2 seconds.

The new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has a single purpose, says Jack Rix on Top Gear. “To push the boundaries of what a car wearing a number plate can do.” AMG, the “most hallowed badge” you can get on a Mercedes, gives its engineering muscle a “huge flex”, taking a car launched six years ago and “surgically enhancing it until it becomes the ultimate expression of speed”. The result is “the pinnacle” of what’s technically possible for a car made for the racetrack that can also be driven on public roads. It may seem very similar to the AMG GT R Pro, a “cover version of the same tune”, but the Black Series is “heavy metal to the Pro’s prog rock”. This car pushes the limits as far as AMG can legally, and “with a clear conscience”, go. “And at this rarefied end of the supercar market, that’s currency.”

The car packs the most powerful V8 engine AMG has made for a production car, says Lawrence Allan on Autocar, putting out 720bhp of power and 590lb ft of torque. The engine features a racing-spec flat-plane crankshaft, which gives improved throttle response and the ability to rev more cleanly at higher revs and deliver more power. Power is put through the rear wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which makes for a better shift response and “impressive launches” – the result is a car that will whisk you from rest to 124mph in just nine seconds. Inside, the Black Series is decked out in a “unique combination” of leather and microfibre with black and orange stitching and matte black carbon-fibre trim.

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The car is set to be priced at £330,000, more than three times the cost of the base GT and £140,000 over the current range-topping GT R Pro. It will be available to order at the end of the month, with first deliveries in the autumn.

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Nic studied for a BA in journalism at Cardiff University, and has an MA in magazine journalism from City University. She has previously worked for MoneyWeek.