After a long build up the Mercedes-AMG GT is here. Mercedes is talking itself up with this car and AMG has lofty ambitions for its latest model. Just look at the first sentence from the press release below:
The first Mercedes was a racing car, its most recent successor carries this heritage forward: with the new Mercedes-AMG GT, the Mercedes-AMG sports car brand is moving into a new, top-class sports car segment for the company.
To help achieve its aims the AMG GT features a curvaceous coupé body with most of the curves in all the right places. It’s a classic two-seat sportscar look, with a long bonnet and the cabin pushed back towards the rear wheels. It does look pretty good from most angles, although we do think this car would look more impressive before our eyes than it does on a computer screen.
Powering the AMG GT is a 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine. The new M178 V8 is provided in two states of tune, for the entry level GT model there’s 340kW/600Nm on tap, while the GT S gets a modest boost to 375kW/650Nm.
Perhaps inspired a little by the innovative turbo configuration from the F1 W05 the M178 V8 features what’s been labelled as “hot inside V†whereby the turbos are mounted inside the V layout, rather than outside the engine. The use of a dry sump also means the engine can be mounted lower, helping to provide a lower centre of gravity for better handling.
In true AMG tradition, this V8, even with turbos, sounds as raucous and thunderous as the company’s previous normally aspirated offerings. Thankfully!
Motorsport-inspired double wishbone suspension has been used for superior road holding, cornering and feedback, well, according to Mercedes anyway. A 47:53 front to rear weight distribution should also give the GT a classic sportscar feel, with that extra weight at the rear to keep the driving wheels better planted to the road.
The GT has a kerbweight of 1540kg and sees off 100km/h in 4.0 seconds, while the more powerful GT S weighs 1570kg but is quicker to triple figures with a sprint time of 3.8 seconds. Both models have had their top speeds electronically capped, 304km/h for the GT and 310km/h for the GT S.
Meaningful buzzwords like forged alloy wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, 7-speed dual clutch transmission, rear-axle locking differential and more can be found lurking in the detailed press guff below, along with a few videos and enough photos—in new 2560px mega sizing—for you to form a judgement on the AMG GT that we’d love you to share with us.
