Mercedes-AMG GT R roadster
Hardcore Mercedes-AMG GT goes topless
THE Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster is the fastest, most powerful and dearest convertible ever to wear a Mercedes badge. It’s about as extreme as roadsters get.
That, in itself, is a bit of a head-scratcher. Mercedes-AMG had gone to great lengths to make the regular GT R as focused as can be, with carbon-fibre panels, four-wheel steering, a nine-stage traction-control system, active aerodynamics and carbonceramic brakes. But now it’s lopped off the roof and added 80kg. And at 1,710kg, the Roadster is no featherweight.
However, Mercedes-AMG isn’t alone in this; Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren all have open-top versions of their top-tier performance cars. If you want to add the GT R Roadster to your fleet you’d better be quick; only 750 examples will be built. And at £178,675, it’s certainly not cheap.
An icy winter’s morning is a considerable distance away from the car’s comfort zone. However, it provided the perfect opportunity to test the GT R’s new Slippery driving mode. It acts like an automotive tranquiliser dart, tightening the traction control and putting the safety systems and sensors on high alert to keep progress calm and sedate.
At city-dwelling speeds, what’s not so calming is the ride. The GT R has some of the widest tyres fitted to any production car, and you certainly notice when they come into contact with an even slightly abrasive surface. Coupled with the track-focused suspension set-up, it makes for uncomfortable progress.
On faster A-roads the GT R Roadster is more at home; the ride feels a lot more controlled at speed and, once into its flow, the GT R adopts the rowdy and raucous performance-car character it’s known for.
The fat rears tyres fight for traction at every flex of your right foot, the GT R squatting and squirming under acceleration as it attempts to deploy all 577bhp and 700Nm of torque. Once hooked up, it’s thunderously quick, with the 4.0-litre V8 pulling from 2,000rpm right up to 7,000rpm with relentless thrust.
The steering in the Roadster is very fast and alert. It gives the car a sense of agility that betrays its width on the road, but it takes some time to adjust to.