Mercedes' New Black Series Will Use A Wild Flat-Plane V8

Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series will use a new flat-plane-crank V8 and mirror the next GT3 racer while keeping the GT 63 Pro as flagship.

Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series

Photo by: NCars / YouTube

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Aug 14, at 11:15am ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

Ola Källenius confirmed a new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series as a 'road-legal twin' of AMG's next GT3 racer.
It will use AMG's new flat-plane V8 and is expected to exceed the GT 63 Pro's power and torque.
Mercedes plans to reveal it next year and sell it in 2028, positioned above the GT 63 Pro.

The next Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is no longer just a rumor. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius has publicly promised a new Black Series, called it “insane,” and tied it directly to AMG’s upcoming flat-plane-crank V8 and the next GT3 race car. That sets expectations sky-high for what could be AMG’s wildest road car of this decade.

Källenius has also made clear that this project sits at the heart of Mercedes’ plan to keep serious combustion performance alive alongside plug-in hybrids and EVs. For anyone who still cares about big-power V8 AMGs, this Black Series will be a key test of how long that formula sticks around.

Gallery: Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and GT3 race car teasers

Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and GT3 race car

Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and GT3 race car Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car

Source: Mercedes-AMG

What Mercedes Has Actually Confirmed

Källenius has guaranteed that a new AMG Black Series is “in the making” and described it as completely different” from what people expect. He framed it as the next halo car in the AMG lineup, following the tradition of previous Black Series models as the most extreme road-legal AMGs since the badge first appeared in 2006.

He also linked the car directly to AMG’s racing program, calling it a road-legal twin of the next-generation AMG GT3 racer and saying engineers have been allowed to “go crazy” on the project. The car is expected to be revealed next year and go on sale in 2028, sitting above today’s AMG GT 63 Pro, which already makes 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.

Official figures for the new Black Series are not out, but Källenius has hinted it will deliver significantly more power and torque than the GT 63 Pro. For context on where AMG is heading with this project, you can look at the history of the Mercedes-AMG Black Series models and how each one has pushed far past the standard cars.

Flat-Plane V8, GT3 DNA, And AMG’s Combustion Strategy

The clearest technical takeaway from Källenius is that AMG’s new flat-plane-crank V8 is central to this Black Series. He stressed that Mercedes is still investing heavily in high-performance combustion engines, saying “we’re going to need that for years to come, especially for sports cars,” even as the brand expands its plug-in hybrid lineup. He also acknowledged there is still demand for lighter, non-hybrid V8 models.

This new engine is being developed for both the GT3 race car and the road-going Black Series, which helps explain spy footage of a Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series prototype with a clearly V8 soundtrack. Other testing clips and photos have already shown big aero, including a towering rear wing, underlining the link to GT3 hardware. If you treat this car as a street-homologated GT3, not just a hotter GT, the priorities, such as downforce, lap times, and durability, start to make a lot more sense.

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For the current AMG GT range, this means the GT 63 Pro remains the “everyday” flagship while the Black Series steps up as a limited, more track-focused special. It also signals that AMG’s V8 era is not ending overnight, with the same flat-plane-crank family expected to underpin other headline projects, from future V8-powered AMG CLE variants to rumored super-coupes teased as Mythos-series AMG halo models. If the Black Series lands as promised, it will be strong evidence that Mercedes still sees value in big, loud combustion heroes alongside its electric plans.

Motor1's Take: If Mercedes-AMG delivers this Black Series as promised, it will show that the brand still values loud, track-focused V8 heroes, not just electrified halo models, and give enthusiasts who prefer raw, mechanical performance over hybrid complexity something to rally around.