Mercedes-AMG is celebrating 130 Years of motorsport this year. And to commemorate the occasion the German carmaker's racing division has introduced a limited-run edition of their AMG GT-3 race car called the ‘Edition 130Y Motorsport’ at the Pebble Beach Concourse in California. What makes this one special is the fact that it will be the last race car to make use of AMG’s 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V8.
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The first Daimler-marked engine to win a motorsport event goes back to July 22, 1894, when the Three-Pointed Star won the Paris-Rouen race. Marking over 130 years of this historic win, the 130Y Motorsport Edition of the AMG GT3 is created as a collector’s prized possession with a production run of just 13 examples and a sticker price of EUR 1,030,000 (approx. Rs 9.5 crore) apiece.
If you are interested in technicalities, the 6.3-litre M156 V8 makes close to 680 horsepower at a stratospheric 7,250rpm. And the 730Nm of twisting force might not appear to be tectonic, especially after the torque figures we are seeing from modern powertrains. But to put things in perspective, the other GT3 segment competitors make around 500-550 horsepower. The gearbox is a sequential six-speed placed on the rear axle. There are also carbon ceramic brakes (inspired by Formula 1 units) that are in line with the GT3 regulations.
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Meanwhile, the heavy active aerodynamics have helped reduce downforce by around 15 per cent helped by a revised front splitter, fender-mounted louvres, underbody modification and a rear diffuser. Making use of these aero upgrades, there’s also a drag reduction system (DRS) like the one seen in Formula 1 and Class 1 DTM operated through a button on the steering wheel. When activated, the rear wing moves into a flat position and drag is reduced.
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Additional upgrades are done to the fully adjustable four-way motorsport shock absorbers. There’s a carbon fibre safety cell connected to the chassis, a five-point harness, safety nets, a steel roll cage, a fire extinguishing system, a safety tank, and an emergency hatch to complete the race car’s safety aspects.
With Mercedes-AMG performance driver Jules Gounon behind the wheel, the prototype Edition 130Y beat the track record for GT cars on the iconic 6.213-kilometre circuit by 2.074 seconds with its time of 1m56.605s around Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia.
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With another legendary engine put to rest, we hope to see some of them return in limited numbers such as this one to grace their presence in our ever-growing EV world.
