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Is This the Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series Or GT R Evo?

Spied at the Nürburgring Nordschleife cornering the Caracciola Karussell as flat as possible, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R prototype in this photo gallery polarizes opinion. On the one hand, the Black Series is anticipated to go official no later than 2020. But on the other, this might be the GT R Evo that would replace the GT R Pro limited edition.
2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Black Series or GT R Evo 42 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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The plot thickens even further, though. Some people expect the GT R Evo to be the Black Series we’re waiting for, but we’re not done with the speculation. An upgrade kit should be in the pipeline for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2020 following the mid-cycle refresh, and as with other competitors in this class, the name of the racing car would be… wait for it… GT3 Evo.

Despite the tinted rear and quarter windows, the prototype doesn’t feature a roll cage. This means we’re dealing with a road-going model. The central exhaust system has been replaced by four pipes, two at each corner of the rear bumper. In terms of aerodynamic trickery, the canards on the front wings complement the dive planes on the sides of the front bumper.

The modifications to the exhaust system lead us to believe that Mercedes-AMG is cranking out more ponies from the twin-turbo V8. From 585 PS (577 horsepower) to 600 or beyond wouldn’t be that big of a challenge for the engineers in Affalterbach, more so if you remember the M177 with wet-sump lubrication develops 639 PS (630 horsepower) in the GT 63 S 4Matic+ liftback sedan.

By comparison, the M178 in the GT has dry-sump lubrication to keep the engine in check even during hard cornering. The final detail that caught our attention about this prototype is how the car exits the Carousel. That level of stiffness has more to do with a racing car than a road-going model, complemented by low-profile tires. In the case of the GT R Pro, Mercedes-AMG offers Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track tires as an optional extra.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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