Mercedes-AMG’s new customer race car was just officially revealed and it has something sweet hiding under the hood.

Rather than relying on the new 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 that the GT and GT S road cars use, Mercedes’ new customer race car will get an updated version of the same naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 that powered the previous SLS GT3. That car made 548 hp, which is probably close to – if not the same as – what it will make in this case. Mercedes said it chose to stick with the larger powerplant because of its high-revving ability, long maintenance intervals and proven reliability. The engine sends power through a six-speed sequential racing gearbox that is mounted in a transaxle configuration just like the street legal Mercedes-AMG GT to optimize weight balance for improved performance.

The car will make its in-person debut next week at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show before going on sale at the end of the year.

It doesn’t take a trained eye to tell that the GT3 is heavily modified, but some of the important changes include aggressive aerodynamic changes to the body that will help improve output and offer significantly more downforce than the street car has. All of those parts – from the front and rear spoilers to the side skirts, diffuser and more – are made of carbon fiber.

2015 Geneva Motor Show Preview

But those aren’t the only new pieces made of that high-strength weave. The seat pan and roll cage are also made of the same stuff and designed to be FIA compliant. Most of the interior is stripped out, leaving carbon fiber racing buckets, a racing steering wheel and telematics readout in place of the standard wheel and gauge cluster. Similarly, the dashboard is gone along with the center console and virtually everything else that makes the GT such a luxurious sports car.

Mercedes didn’t announce how much it will cost, but the SLS GT3 that this car will replace rang in at roughly double the MSRP for the SLS. If that turns out to be the case, the new car could turn out to be considerably less expensive than the SLS GT3.

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