Mercedes-AMG GT family driven

FULL OF MOTORSPORT TECHNOLOGY ʂ ‘Proof of the close collaboration between our constructors of racing cars and road-going cars.’

Way back in 1967, German engineers Hans-Werner Aufrecht (A) and Erhard Melcher (M) combined the first letters of their surnames with the first letter of Aufrecht’s birthplace of Grossaspach (G) and founded AMG. Now, 50 years down the line, the tuning firm still lives up to its word of offering only the best.

As part of celebrating AMG’s 50 years of driving performance, Mercedes-AMG has added three new variants to its GT family.

Developed entirely by AMG, all three models pack enough punch to challenge even the Jaguar F-Type SVR Roadster, Audi R8 Spyder and Porsche 911 Turbo. The base model AMG GT Roadster packs 350kW and 360Nm plus aggressive styling cues.

The GT roadster looks like the coupe, but there are differences, starting with a drop-top roof.

Gone are the ceiling-mounted array of buttons – they now reside at the centre console.

This one boasts a mechanical rear differential and less power than its bigger brothers.

You get the same seven-speed Speedshift dual-clutch automatic gearbox found in the GT coupé, with higher first and lower seventh gears, plus a lower final drive, that can certainly be felt.

Mercedes-AMG says it can do 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds before hitting a limiter at 302km/h, and we have no reasons to disbelieve them.

I drove this one first around a racetrack, but its main attraction would be on the road.

The engine has enough shove to use the car as your everyday supercar.

You get a strong torque and excellent throttle response of the lightly upgraded V8 which would make it easy to drive around town. Dubbed king of the ‘Green Hell’ – Nürburgring circuit where it spent most of its development time testing, the GT R is the most powerful GT across the range.

Also available in ‘Green Hell mango’ – named after the northern loop of the Nürburgring colour – AMG says it is the only car it has ever built that packs so much motorsport technology. With its track-focused appearance, its power has been upped to 430kW and 700Nm from the twin-turbo V8 engine.

The folks at AMG have fiddled with the GT R’s chassis and aerodynamics to ensure it is ready for some harsh treatment, and it sounds staggering.

I did not test the 0-100km/h sprint but having had the chance to drive all three models back to back, the claimed 3.6 seconds to 100km/h is credible. Top speed is kept at a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS threatening 318km/h.

You get an adjustable coil-over suspension system and active rear-wheel steering. The suspension is stiffer and the front and rear tracks have been widened with larger wheels and tyres which, along with the four-wheel steering, optimises the vehicle’s grip. “The new top-of-the-range model is proof of the close collaboration between our constructors of racing cars and road-going cars,” says Selvin Govender, marketing director, Mercedes Benz Cars.

The GT R features vertical grille fins which celebrated its world première on the MercedesAMG GT3 customer-sport racing car. It now features a widened front and rear. The body and chassis is a perfect match for the pops and cracks through the new lightweight exhaust system. The