Mercedes SLS news - SLS racer: winging it - 2010

If you saw the BMW Z4 GT3 racer we showed you earlier this month and thought, ‘Yeah, very nice, but what about a bigger wing and some gullwing doors?', you're in luck.

This is the Mercedes SLS GT3 race car, the first photos of which have just slithered onto the web ahead of its official unveiling next month. It looks - what's the word we're searching for? - distinctly... grrrrr.

Yep, grrrr. In addition to that mahoosive rear wing, the SLS racer gets an equally steroidal diffuser, front splitter and bonnet, all of which no doubt do very clever aerodynamic stuff but, far more importantly, scare small children and household pets.

And, oh yes, they've kept the gullwing doors. This will make for truly excellent driver changes on pitstops. How many races before a mechanic gets a door to the forehead?

Technical details are a little thin on the ground. The SLS GT3 is expected to be powered by a revised version of Merc's 6.2-litre V8 putting out around 600bhp. Like the road car, it'll remain rear-wheel drive, but will get a sequential gearbox.

It'll cost you, mind. Around half a million quid, we reckon - that's three road-going SLSs. Maybe we'll hang on for the SLS Black Series, then...

Sam Philip