Orange Is The New Black

The outlandish and extreme AMG GT black series is affalterbach’s beating heart of darkness. Should Porsche be worried?

- Ben Miller

BLACK SERIES IS to AMG what AMG is to Mercedes. They’re the fastest, most extreme cars to carry the threepointed star, and only five machines have carried the Black Series name since the first one, the unlikely SLK Black Series exploded out of the Afalterbach factory in 2006. But even by AMG’s standards, the GT Black Series is borderline certifiable.

If it looks more like the full-blown GT3 racing version of the Mercedes-AMG GT, that’s the point. That’s how it feels, too. Not even the fabulous SLS Black of 2014 blurred the boundaries between road and track car like this one does. Or pushed the boundaries of price: at $796,900 the Black Series costs a massive $479,465 more than the regular GT S and $428,565 more than the already serious GT R.

But unlike some car makers who’ll scrape away a few kilos, add a little aero and 50 per cent to the price, the Black does at least deliver something significantly different from a regular AMG GT.

And that starts with the way it looks. The high-rise twolevel rear spoiler, saw-tooth front wing vents, aggressive bonnet scoops and huge grille opening will swivel heads in a way even the GT R never could. The bumpers, bonnet, front wings, roof and rear hatch are all made from carbon fibre, contributing to a 35kg reduction in kerb weight. Also chipping in are lightweight glass and a thin-wall stainless steel exhaust, while carbon-backed bucket seats and a Track Pack that adds four-point harnesses, a roll cage and fire extinguisher is optional.