GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-AMG GT3

We saw the teaser sketches of it a week ago and now Daimler has revealed the first photograph of its most extreme Mercedes-AMG GT ever.

Due to make its world debut at the Geneva motor show inside than two weeks, the AMG GT3 race car will replace the super-successful SLS AMG-based racer in FIA GT3 sports car racing around the world from next year.

But it will also inspire a hard-core new road-going version of the AMG GT, which may or may not be called the Black Series, to rival Porsche's formidable 911 GT3 racer-for-the-road.

The race-ready Mercedes-AMG GT won't be the only GT3 race car revealed at Geneva, with Audi also said to be planning the launch of its own second-generation R8 LMS racer at the show, while BMW showed its new M6-based GT3 racer a couple of weeks ago.

Like its predecessor, the Bathurst 12 Hour-winning SLS GT3 that hit the track in 2010, the GT GT3 will be followed by a track-focussed, ultra-high-performance road-legal version,  

"Why not?” Mercedes-AMG chief Tobias Moers has told Autocar. “A street-legal version of our GT3 racing car – that sounds like a pretty good idea.”

But he confirmed it would not called the GT GT3, since Porsche owns that trademark.

"GT3 belongs to the other company. We will find another name for our car," he said.

The racing car will be ready for customer teams in time for the 2016 FIA GT season and AMG is planning to launch the road version around the same time.

No information was announced for the GT3 racer alongside this single pic, which we've lightened in the first image, but we understand full details will be revealed in a week -- a few days before its Geneva debut on March 3. 

For the road car, Moers said he is targeting power-to-weight, improved aerodynamics, more focussed suspension, driveability, feel and a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap time about 10 seconds faster than the GT S -- which has record of 7:30 – without using special tyres.

He admits it's possible to pull up to 100kg out of the GT S's 1570kg kerb weight, which, in combination with around 410kW of power from the 4.0-litre biturbo V8, would make for a very quick car indeed.