Photo of the day: three 6.3-litre Mercedes-AMG GT racers

Look at them, in all their bewinged loveliness. The trio of hardcore AMG GTs you see above is Mercedes-AMG's announcement that, for the first time, it is to step foot into the International Motor Sports Association WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Yep, AMG is going racing in IMSA. Good. It'll partner with Riley Motorsports for two cars, while the third will be run by customer AMG team SunEnergy1 Racing. AMG reckons more customer teams will run GTs in next year's season, and it will be on-site at each race to provide technical assistance for anyone running an AMG GT.

You might know that the racing version of AMG's baby supercar ditches the new twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 for that old warhorse, the 6.3-litre V8 used in the SLS. This is because it's a battle-hardened, dependable engine, something which makes it cheaper for the teams. The fact it makes one of the finest noises on planet earth is merely a bonus.

The cars will compete in the IMSA GT Daytona class, which is run to international GT3 regs.

Tobias Moers, boss of AMG, had this to say: "The high demand for the Mercedes-AMG GT3, particularly after the legendary 1-2-3-4 finish at this year's Nürburgring 24-hours, has inspired us to establish a Customer Sports Program in the US. I'm very much looking forward to cooperating with all of the teams and wish them success in the upcoming season."

Want to know more about the AMG GT3 racer? Click here...