2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Goes Official With Flat Plane LS2 Engine

Having said that, the heavily redesigned M178 mill in the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series does also sport the LS2 moniker now, mostly because it’s almost a brand-new engine.

Just like we thought, the most powerful Black Series model ever has switched from a traditional cross-plane design of its crankshaft to a flat-plane one.

This solution comes with a host of racing-inspired advantages, but it also has a drawback, as the new winged hyper GT sounds like a McLaren with the sports exhaust option unticked, a problem also exacerbated by the standard gas particulate filter (GPF).

As far as the advantages go, we’re looking at an almost instant throttle response, almost comparable to that of a naturally aspirated engine, and a much higher propensity to rev.

“The new GT Black Series is our latest automotive highlight and continues a tradition established in 2006. The sixth version of its kind is another AMG milestone and impressive proof of the incredible development expertise in Affalterbach. I am proud of the team who have created a unique super sports car, which now represents the absolute peak of our successful GT family. The performance, looks and driving dynamics of the GT Black Series are second to none. This project was a fantastic end to my work at AMG, for which I am truly thankful,” says Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board at Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

The M178 LS2 delivers 537 kW (730 hp) at 6700-6900 rpm and has a maximum torque of 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) from 2000 all the way to 6000 rpm. Like we mentioned before, the torque figure cannot be much higher than that because of the dual-clutch transmission’s limitations.

Thanks to these numbers, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is an absolute animal in a straight line, despite being only rear-wheel-drive.

The 0-100 kph (62 mph) acceleration takes 3.2 seconds, while the 0-200 kph (124 mph) sprint can be done in a little as 9 seconds. Even though the massive aerodynamic package offers a downforce level of well over 400 kilograms (882 pounds) at 250 kph (155 mph), top speed sits at 325 kph (202 mph).