Which is your favourite GT3 racer?

Anybody at the global premiere of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car at this year's Geneva Motor Show should've been briefed to bring ear plugs.

Because, with ‘Mr DTM' Bernd Schneider behind the wheel and Mercedes-Benz chief Dr Zetsche on board, the monster AMG racecar roared onto the stage, its 6.2-litre, SLS-sourced V8 bellowing out through side pipes. Simply put, it was bloody loud, and all the better for it.

The AMG GT3 will become Merc's new wideboy racer for the 2016 GT3 season, taking over duties from the SLS AMG GT3 - widely considered one of the finest GT3 cars of recent years - for sale to customer teams around the world.

The Merc wasn't the only GT3 car revealed at Geneva, though, as Audi unveiling its new R8 racer too, looking similarly bombastic with a monster rear wing.

Which got us thinking. GT3 is a fine series, filled with steroidal versions of fast cars you can associate with. And, if you have the cash and racing nous, actually buy and compete with. With the Merc, Audi and new Lamborghini making waves recently - and a mighty new BMW M6 GT3 in the works - we've rounded up our favourites.

Now it's time to pick yours...

The new Audi R8 has landed, and with it the new GT3 racer too. In Audi parlance it's called ‘LMS', built for this year's GT3 championship, and is already eligible for the 2016 championship. In fact, the R8's first racing commitments have been confirmed for the Nurburgring 24hrs in May, and Spa in July. So you won't have to wait long before seeing it trade paint.

But trade paint it will. The R8 LMS packs a 5.2-litre V10 engine with around 580bhp, with a six-speed sequential gearbox, better aero, new electrics and a lighter kerbweight thanks to lots of lovely carbon fibre.

It's got big shoes to fill. The old R8 GT3 racer took 26 championships between 2009 and 2014, plus 23 titles in other classifications, and seven outright victories in 24hr races. In the great words of Keanu Reeves, then, woah.

You won't see this one competing until 2016, but when it arrives it promises a world of pain for its competitors. The M6 will take over from BMW's current Z4 GT3, and packs a version of the production M6's 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. In fact, BMW tells us the drivetrain is "virtually unmodified" from the road-going M6. Which is good.

BMW's works test drivers are quite pleased with it already. "The long wheelbase makes this car easier to drive than its predecessor," says Jens Klingmann. Good, considering at least some of its drivers will be well-heeled customers rather than professional racers...

Looks terrifyingly brilliant, this, doesn't it? Another that you won't see in competitive action until next year, the AMG GT3 takes over from the SLS AMG GT3.

It shares just the aluminium chassis and roof with the road-going GT, however: the tracks are wider even than the SLS, the body is made from carbon fibre panels, there's a six-speed sequential gearbox driving the rear wheels, and a mighty engine overseeing it all.

Not the twin-turbo 4.0-litre from the AMG GT roadcar, however, because Merc has opted for the glorious 6.2-litre V8 from the old SLS. Why? Because a) it's a race-proven, bulletproof unit that's therefore cheaper, and b) it sounds brilliant.

Now we're talking. The Aston Vantage has long been one of the prettiest baby GTs around, but in race ready trim? Angry. Couple that with a lovely 6.0-litre V12 up front producing up to 600bhp and many torques, together with a monster rear wing and one of the finest engine noises in history, and you've got a winner.

A proper winner, in fact. In 2012 the Vantage GT3 took two championship wins, 18 race wins and 30 podium finishes. In 2013? 17 wins, 17 poles, 34 podiums and 21 fastest laps.

This one should really come with a warning label: approach with caution. The 2015 model comes complete with a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6, and we're told each car takes 600 man hours to build.

Revisions to this year's car have been made in areas of braking, weight distribution, weight reduction, fuel consumption and even the driver position. You get adjustable dampers, front and rear anti-roll bars and "a chassis that inspires confidence". We'll be the judge of that, thank you very much.

It costs £300,000, and is wrapped up in a bodyshell that inspires fear.

This one's based on the 997-generation 911, Porsche geeks (apparently the 991-generation GT3-R is still in the works), and features a 4.0-litre flat-six boxer engine developing around 500bhp. It's hooked up to a six-speed sequential ‘dog' gearbox, with a wider track, carbon/Kevlar body panels and a bloody big wing.

We don't need to remind you that it'll likely be annoyingly successful, too. The GT3-R kicked off the 2014 season with a win at the Dubai 24hrs. After winning it in 2008. And 2009. And 2010.

Here's Ferrari's entrant, the lovely 458 Italia, resplendent in its GT3 colours. Power comes from that 4.5-litre V8, here pegged to around 500bhp, with a six-speed sequential gearbox powering the rear wheels (obvs). The chassis and suspension is largely built of aluminium, it weighs in at 1250kg, and it'll be quick.

How do we know this? "The 458 GT3 has delivered drivers' titles in the FIA GT, GT3 Asia, drivers and teams' titles in the International GT Open, Blancpain Championship and British GT Championship," Ferrari says.

Here's Lamborghini's not-so-jolly green giant. The Huracan takes over from the Gallardo GT3, here packing a 500bhp+ version of its 5.2-litre V10, together with a Bosch ECU managing the traction control, gearbox and TFT dashboard.

It's rear-wheel-drive, features a three-disc racing clutch, a six-speed sequential ‘box, monster brakes, an aluminium-carbon body shell and lots of aggression.

Here's the car that has to fill the shoes of the McLaren 12C GT3 before it, a car that took 71 podiums, 51 race wins and three championship titles. No big ask, then. Step forward the 650S GT3.

Based on the same MonoCell chassis and drivetrain as the road-going 650S, it comes with a limited-to-500bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, together with a new ECU and motorsport-spec sequential gearbox.

It's wider than the 12C GT3 car too - by 52mm - with forged aluminium racing wheels, revised suspension components with a longer lifespan, and a price tag of £330,000. Plus tax.

A 550bhp, rear-wheel-drive racing Bentley? Well, yes, actually. Bentley's history is tied inextricably to motorsport (remember the original ‘Bentley Boys'?), so the Conti GT3 - all bulbous, square-jawed aggression - fits the bill perfectly.

This one kicked off its racing life last year, and comes with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo Bentley V8 positioned further back in the engine bay, double wishbone suspension, monster brakes, four-way adjustable dampers, and a kerb weight some 1000kg lighter than its road-going equivalent.

The Conti GT3 is built in conjunction with M-Sport - Bentley's ‘technical partner' - who saw fit to remove the double glazing, veneer, leather trim and over fifty ECUs to make it race ready. You want luxury? Move along, please.

It just looks so right, doesn't it? This one will continue competing in the GT3 class until big brother M6 comes along next year, but it's got more than enough firepower to keep the opposition amused.

The chassis comes off the same production line as the regular Z4, but once built, it goes off into a very different place. A place where it's fitted with a 4.4-litre V8 packing around 535bhp depending on air restrictor regs, monster carbon fibre bodywork, a ginormous rear wing, and bespoke suspension setup.

It takes 700 hours to construct a Z4 GT3, and they've been hours well spent: BMW has taken race wins in GT series around the world, and finished on the podium at the 2013 Nurburgring 24 hours.