Benz's hardcore SLS AMG Gullwing

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing sports car was never a shy retiring type of vehicle to begin with, and is an odds-on favourite to attract more attention than almost any other exotic vehicle as its 'gullwing' doors extend. But those odds have just lengthened...

An even hotter version of the SLS AMG has broken cover.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 is the race car version of the V8-powered Gullwing supercar, showing off an array of aerodynamic upgrades, including an absolutely huge carbonfibre composite rear wing.

The SLS AMG GT3 has been built for competition use only, so it cannot be driven on the road, and will be homologated by March 2011 for racing in all GT3 series races, some of which include the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring in Germany and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

Mercedes-Benz Australia has confirmed that the road-going SLS AMG version will be on sale in Australia in August, but no price has been announced as yet.

Capable of accelerating from zero to 96km/h in just 3.7 seconds (compared to 3.9secs of the standard models) the SLS AMG GT3's engine is "virtually identical" to the road-legal version, instead finding its extra speed via weight reduction and aero improvements.

For instance, this hardcore Gullwing race car features a new front apron made from carbonfibre, festooned with aerodynamic aids and enlarged air apertures. There's a large carbon rear splitter to smooth the airflow exiting underneath the vehicle and the dominant feature of the car, a gargantuan carbon wing, is designed to increase downforce over the rear axle at high speeds.

Mercedes-Benz GT3 racer is also wider and lower than its road-going cousin, and features upgraded brakes, with an AMG motor sports braking system that "ensures extremely short braking distances, outstanding fade-resistance and great sensitivity."

Interestingly, the brake rotors are made from steel -- not the ceramic composite used on the road-going SLS AMG -- "for space reasons," because they do not fit inside the FIA mandated 18-inch wheels of the GT3 class.

What you do get however are ventilated, grooved and perforated discs with six-pot fixed calipers at the front and four-pot fixed calipers at the rear.  The wheels are 12 x 18-inch at the front and 13 x 18-inches at the rear.

To improve pitstops, the car even has a quartet of pneumatic jacks fixed to the vehicle's underbody, able to lift the car by roughly 190 millimetres "to allow very rapid wheel-changes by the pit crew" according to the Benz press statement.

The interior has been stripped out and race-prepped to reduce weight and improve safety, with a racing bucket seat and six-point seatbelt, not to mention an accompanying HANS system (Head and Neck Support), similar to what V8 Supercar and F1 drivers use.

A steel roll cage is installed to improve rigidity and rollover safety, and various racing gauges are also part of the package, for checking lap times, operating temperatures and so forth.

And if you have to ask how much, you can't afford one...

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