When the new GT3 car is due to race, what the plans are for the engine and what goals Mercedes-AMG has set for the development of the new customer sports flagship
The question of whether and when Mercedes-AMG will bring out a successor to the basic version of the eight-year-old Mercedes-AMG GT3 has long been a source of speculation. But while it is still unconfirmed who will develop the new customer sports flagship of the brand with the three-pointed star, the first details about the vehicle and the planning have finally been released.
“The goal is definitely to have cars on the road in 2026,” says Thomas Jäger, sporting director of the Mercedes-AMG DTM project, but it remains to be seen whether it will really be possible to deliver large numbers to the teams by the beginning of 2026.
That would be an extremely ambitious goal, considering that the development and test phase would already take less than two years
The same turbo engine as in the current GT4 car?
“The plan is that we will still be driving the current car in 2024 and 2025,” explains the ex-DTM driver, who is also a development driver at Mercedes-AMG. “Then we’ll see what’s possible in 2026. There is a development timeline and a plan. We will find out how this can be implemented over the next few weeks.”
But what are the technical details of the vehicle? At Mercedes-AMG, they already know “what we want”, Jäger clarifies with regard to the specifications and the requirements specification. However, he does not yet want to reveal which production model will serve as the basis for the GT3 racer.
However, he does state that they are planning “with a turbo engine generation”. This comes as little surprise, as the current GT3 vehicle has a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine, which was never installed in the production car even in the current basic version and is no longer really up to date despite its reliability and low cost.
The obvious choice for the new vehicle would be to use the engine that is currently used in the Mercedes-AMG GT4: a four-liter V8 biturbo engine.
Why the current car no longer receives an update
According to information from Mercedes-AMG, another Evo generation of the current car was also considered for some time instead of launching a new vehicle. However, according to Jäger, the current Mercedes-AMG GT3 will no longer receive an update.
“We decided relatively early on against another Evo package,” he says – and gives a practical reason. “That would mean that all customers in the major series worldwide would have to upgrade to the latest material. But our car is super-performant. What’s more, our car matches the current look of the GT models. “
What goals Mercedes-AMG is aiming for with the GT3 successor
With the new Mercedes-AMG GT sports coupe presented in 2023, however, “a new generation of vehicles is now following – and the GT3 successor will also be visually oriented towards this,” reveals Jäger. Technically, however, the main aim is to retain the qualities of the current GT3 vehicle.
“This concerns the very good production quality, gap dimensions and the look – that it looks more like a production car than a racing car,” says Jäger, giving an insight into the specifications. Like its predecessor, the vehicle had to be “user-friendly – long running times, low operating costs”.
And in terms of performance, as with the current vehicle, the focus is on drivability and versatility: “The car is very performant and consistent – whether wet or dry, cold or hot, qualifying or long runs. We have very low tire wear. That is also a very important point. “
Mercedes-AMG convinced of “super product “
In addition, there is the “drivability with which we have made a great name for ourselves. That’s why the gentleman drivers say that this is the ideal product for them – the new car has to be able to do the same. We also want to continue to play a pioneering role when it comes to safety. We want to be the benchmark and introduce pioneering concepts,” announces Jäger.
“If we build on these strengths and do a bit of fine-tuning everywhere – and then combine that with a new look, new electronics and new safety features – then we’ll get another great product to the starting line,” he is convinced.
