Celebrating 50 glorious years of high-speed, high-octane performance, Mercedes-AMG have gone from strength to strength; learning, changing, and evolving. Downsizing is evident in this day and age, but only Affalterbach could have made it so explosively brilliant yet so breathtakingly beautiful. Few examples speak as loudly as the AMG GT line of sports cars, even standing still.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Daimler, DPPI
For 50 years, AMG have delivered high-performance across all spheres – for the track, the road, and even the off-road. In our previous feature, we took a closer look at everything from the original G-Wagen to the iconic G 63 and a new range of SUVs.
How do you encapsulate almost 50 years of high-performance engineering excellence with a century of heritage in a brand-new car that replaces a soulful tribute to an icon? An icon not just for Mercedes-Benz but for the automotive world in its totality. The SLS AMG paid tribute to the mind-bending 300SL Gullwing. And the Mercedes-AMG GT steps in as its successor.
Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S
With minds exploding from revolutionary ideas and raw inspiration from projects so desirable and successful, the best next step is a clean slate. And that’s just what the engineering gurus in Affalterbach received. The goal? To create a sports car that was definitive, exciting, and enthralling, yes; but, furthermore, to succeed the SLS.
Step one. An all-new engine. Enter the 4.0-litre BiTurbo V8. With a unique ‘hot in V’ layout, the turbochargers were installed inside the V-angle between the cylinder banks. The advantage? Not just neater packaging, but also quicker response and sprightlier performance. With 462 PS and 510 PS — now upgraded to 476 PS and 522 PS — in the Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S respectively, the V8 delivers a rush of power, with well over 600 Nm of torque from as low as 1,700 revs. Complementing its character is an all-new lightweight body whose design harks back to classic lines yet packs every modern innovation inside.
The long bonnet, graceful lines, and swooping tail manage to lend it a look that speaks of its roots and inspiration; yet seems purely contemporary and cutting-edge.
Mercedes-AMG GT R
Furthering the appeal of the GT, the ‘Beast of the Green Hell’, as it came to be known, is the hardest-core, fastest, and most extreme form of Mercedes-AMG GT hard-top coupé yet. Marking the début of the AMG GT3’s Panamericana front grille on a production car, the GT R exemplified refined aggression; ensured by the angry face, together with the three-pointed star held by the skin of its teeth. Not to mention the huge fixed rear wing.
The 4.0-litre M178 BiTurbo V8 has been turned all the way up to 585 PS, with a peak 700 Nm of torque allowing it to rocket from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. It can get up to a top speed of 318 km/h. It’s also the first of the lot to receive an active front lip spoiler and rear-wheel steering. No surprise that it blitzed the Nürburgring, its home-ground, so to speak, with a lap-time of 7’10.920 — among the quickest rear-wheel-drive cars to lap the Nordschleife.
GT C Edition 50
Celebrating 50 years of driving performance with Mercedes-AMG meant a commemorative model was a given. Yes? Edition 50 marked a special milestone, and it arrived with a very special car: the AMG GT C Edition 50. A hard-top coupé version of the Mercedes-AMG GT, it arrived sporting a 557-PS version of the 4.0-litre BiTurbo V8. This also saw the introduction of the updated GT range, which included AirPanel active air management, a system that operates vertical louvres on the bottom of the front apron that facilitate cooling.
All AMG GT cars now pack AMG Sports suspension, including the AMG Ride Control with infinitely variable adaptive damping instantaneously done for each wheel, making for the best performance in every situation, speed or condition of the road.
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