Glorious Details Of The Mercedes AMG GT's Savage 4.0-litre Twin-Turbo V8 Have Landed

There’s been teaser after teaser for the Mercedes SLS replacement - the AMG GT - but at last, there’s some solid info on this new beast. It’s been confirmed that it will use a brand-new 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8, which will serve as a replacement for the old naturally-aspirated M159 6.2-litre V8.

This new 90-degreeM178 V8 has its two single-scroll turbochargers mounted in between the cylinder banks, making the engine more compact. It features dry-sump lubrication too, which means no conventional oil pan, allowing the engine to be mounted lower in the chassis. In this initial state of tune, it kicks out 503bhp at 6250rpm, and 479lb ft of torque all the way from 1750 to 4750rpm.

The block is aluminium, with a ‘nanoslide’ coating in the cylinder bores to quell friction losses. The cylinder head, meanwhile, is made from Zirconium-refined aluminium. The whole unit weighs 209kg, which makes it 5kg heavier than the old 6.2-litre unit; not bad considering the extra bulk of the turbochargers and related gubbins.

The engine will make its debut under the long bonnet of the AMG GT when that car arrives in March 2015. The same engine will also power the next C63 AMG.