AMG GT plugs in to feral pace
THE NEW PLUG-IN hybrid version of the Mercedes-amg GT is not just the brand’s quickestaccelerating road car yet but also one of the fastest cars in production.
Arriving just a few months before Porsche is expected to reveal the long-awaited hybrid version of the 911, the GT 63 S E Performance shares its electrified innards with the recently revealed SL hybrid.
AMG’S twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, producing 603bhp on its own, is paired with a 201bhp electric motor on the rear axle to give fourwheel drive and 804bhp – more than the Ferrari 812 Superfast and Mclaren 750S – and a colossal 1047lb ft, which is one of the highest torque outputs offered by a combustionpowered road car to date.
Those figures are sufficient to send the GT from 0-62mph in just 2.8sec, which is quicker than any AMG road car yet, including the 1049bhp One hypercar. In fact, it is one of the fastest-accelerating combustion cars in production – and only narrowly outpaced by the most fearsome supercars on sale.
It will push on to a top speed of 198mph, just edging its slightly heavier soft-top SL sibling.
Power for the electric motor is stored in a 6.1kwh battery that gives an EV range of around eight miles. It is topped up on the move via four-stage regenerative braking to ensure “maximum propulsion is always available when the driver needs it”, according to AMG.
Orders for the new superphev open in the autumn. A starting price of around £200,000 looks likely, representing a premium of about £25,000 over the top-rung pure-v8 car.