Mercedes sets new Bathurst lap record

Mercedes-AMG lost the Bathurst 12-hour last weekend but won the race to have the fastest production car ever to lap the Mount Panorama circuit.

The German brand was among a handful of car makers to air freight their latest supercars to Australia for what was expected to be a shootout for the fastest road-registered vehicles as a major attraction to the support list for the once-around-the-clock sports car race.

In the end, it was only Mercedes-AMG that attempted a lap record run with five-time German touring car champion Bernd Schneider setting a 2min 16.5second lap in the ferocious AMG GT R, a race-derived version of the company's flagship coupe.

The lap time is almost eight seconds quicker than Schneider's previous lap record in the lesser-powered AMG GT S variant, set in 2015.

To put that into perspective, the lap time is around 10 seconds slower than the fastest V8 Supercar and it would have qualified in the top 10 for the Bathurst 1000 less than 15 years ago.

"I love the GT R. I knew it would be a fast car, but it really feels at home here at Mount Panorama," Schneider said afterwards.

The GT R is powered by a 430kw version of AMG's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and features wider, larger wheels wrapped in sticky, race-style tyres, re-tuned suspension and improved aerodynamics.

The car is due to arrive in Australia from mid year at a price of $349,000 (plus on-road costs) - a $50k premium over the GT S.

- For more information visit our Mercedes-Benz showroom page