The first Mercedes was a racing car, its most recent successor carries this heritage forward: with the new Mercedes-AMG GT. The new GT is set to replaces the SLS AMG, but it does so in a very different part of the sports car market. This is now the second car to be entirely developed by AMG, and the first Mercedes vehicle to drop ‘Benz’ from its name.
The new GT moves away from the gullwing doors of the SLS to be a little more practical. However don’t let the lack of fancy doors dissuade you overall the new GT still exudes some serious hot rod vibes. In the engine bay the Mercedes AMG GT follows a similar recipe to the SLS, with a V8 engine in the front driving the rear wheels, but unlike the SLS, the GT’s engine is turbocharged.
The new GT features two turbos which are mounted inside the 4-litre V8’s cylinder banks – an approach Mercedes calls ‘hot inside V’. The size of the powerplant is also reduced as a result, meaning it can slot behind the front axle in a front-mid position, better balancing the GT’s 1540kg weight distribution.
The engine comes in two flavors. The base AMG GT gets a 456bhp, 443lb ft tune that is good for 0-62mph in 4 seconds and a 189mph top speed. The more potent AMG GT S produces peaks of 503bhp and 479lb ft, dropping 0.2sec from the sprint to 62mph and upping the Vmax to 193mph.
The engine is matted to a seven-speed twin-clutch paddleshift gearbox, while the GT S benefits from an extra suite of technology to make it the more focused car of the two. There’s a performance exhaust system (with variable flaps, allowing the sound to be adjusted to the driver’s needs), an electronic differential (said to be more sensitive than the GT’s mechanical equivalent) and adjustable dampers (optional on the base GT).
There’s a rear wing that extends and retracts depending on speed and driving mode, and it’s part of an in-depth aerodynamics package that runs from the front splitter to rear diffuser via an almost flat underbody. A wealth of options can be added, including dynamic engine and transmission mounts (designed to stop unwanted movement, carbon-ceramic brakes, forged alloy wheels and Michelin Cup tires.
PWC Utah Grand Prix Next Post:
Long live the Roadster