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

Ola K\u00e4llenius 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 K\u00e4llenius has publicly promised a new Black Series, called it \u201cinsane,\u201d and tied it directly to AMG\u2019s upcoming flat-plane-crank V8 and the next GT3 race car. That sets expectations sky-high for what could be AMG\u2019s wildest road car of this decade.

K\u00e4llenius has also made clear that this project sits at the heart of Mercedes\u2019 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.

K\u00e4llenius has guaranteed that a new AMG Black Series is \u201cin the making\u201d and described it as completely different\u201d 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\u2019s racing program, calling it a road-legal twin of the next-generation AMG GT3 racer and saying engineers have been allowed to \u201cgo crazy\u201d on the project. The car is expected to be revealed next year and go on sale in 2028, sitting above today\u2019s 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 K\u00e4llenius 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\u2019s Combustion Strategy

The clearest technical takeaway from K\u00e4llenius is that AMG\u2019s 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 \u201cwe\u2019re going to need that for years to come, especially for sports cars,\u201d 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.

For the current AMG GT range, this means the GT 63 Pro remains the \u201ceveryday\u201d flagship while the Black Series steps up as a limited, more track-focused special. It also signals that AMG\u2019s 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.

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