#gt3

More than just a concept car, luxury automaker Bentley has an unusual spectacle in its booth at the Paris Motor Show: the hallmark of its return to racing. 

It’s been nearly a decade since Bentley captured the overall win at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2003, and now the British automaker is in the preparation stages to possibly make a return to racing.

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We’ve already known that former Formula 1 double world champion Mika Häkkinen will be piloting an SLS AMG GT3, and now we have our first preview of him preparing to get back behind the wheel in a competitive fashion.

It’s been four long years since Mika has raced competitively, so it’s interesting to see how Mercedes-Benz is hyping it up. Really for us, the video is all about staring at the amazingly beautiful SLS AMG GT3 taking laps around a real race track in its full glory. There is seriously very few race cars that rivals the SLS AMG GT3 in the aesthetics department.

Check out the video after the break.

Former Formula 1 double world champion Mika Häkkinen will return to motor racing, piloting a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 at the 6-hours of Zhuhai on November 13. Representing Customer AMG Sports Team China, Hakkinen will share racing duties with co-drivers, CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold.

It’s time to buckle up as Mercedes-Benz‘s  tuner AMG confirms that they are working on three halo projects for their halo SLS AMG.

McLaren is planning to build a full model range of super car and sports cars for consumers. Currently, there are at least four more models in the design and development pipeline. The new cars include the current MP4-12C, a hypercar (codename P12), built to take on the new Lamborghini Aventador, and a successor to the famous McLaren F1. The P12 model is expected to produce around 800-hp and its weight will be similar to the MP4-12C. The British automaker will also be building a cheaper sports car (codename P13) to take on the non-turbo Porsche 911.

Happening right now out in Cologne, Germany is Gamescom, the world’s largest trade fair and event for video games and entertainment. And with all the passionate automotive enthusiasts in Germany, it’s no surprise that Sony wanted to make a statement in their booth by teaming up with Audi to show off a whole new way to play Gran Turismo 5. Custom built by quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm, the PlayStation Racing Simulator that’s currently setup at the booth is a full-on carbon-black Audi R8 LMS imitation race car.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the most successful race car the German automaker has ever offered. Porsche has sold 2,200 GT3 Cup units and is the most popular choice amongst racing teams all over the world.The GT3 Cup currently competes in 19 Porsche brand trophy series worldwide and runs in various GT race series and at long distance events. The GT3 Cup is based on the lighweight 997 911 GT3 RS sports car and features a 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank.

A little jealous of what Jay Leno was allowed to do recently with AMG? It’s OK, we were too. But now AMG is offering what are being called ‘Emotion Tours’ to satisfy those who want to visit AMG’s factory and enjoy a few lifestyle events surrounded by some of the Mercedes performance brand’s best vehicles. If you’re a hardcore Mercedes-Benz fanatic, or looking to cross another item off your bucket list – you know, the one where you want to drive a SLS AMG GT3 on the track – then AMG’s Emotion Tours are for you.

The  McLaren MP4-12C GT3 will make its first official public appearance at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place from June 30th to July 3rd.

Those with a little less than half a million lying around and looking to compete in some GT3-class racing can now get their hands on BMW’s Z4 GT3 race car. After its successful victory in Dubai’s 24 Hours race, BMW did some more testing and aerodynamic tweaking prior to allowing customers to order their own 2011 GT3 competitor race car.

You will never be able to buy one off the showroom floor, but that shouldn’t stop you from drooling over the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, a race version of Mercedes’ most extreme sports car.

At a sticker price of $430,000, the GT3 version is the psychotic sibling of the standard car, and only a shadow of a similarity remains. The necessary add-ons like a rear wing, center-lock wheels, widened carbon fiber bodywork and all the safety equipment needed to go racing are in place, not to mention a new 6-speed sequential gearbox and a cool air-jack system that negates the need for a hand operated unit.

The video doesn’t show too much of the car’s capabilities, but we do get some great audio of the SLS AMG’s NASCAR-like exhaust note. Expect to see this at racetracks far and wide, but never bearing a license plate.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Hit the jump to see the video