Slippery when wet

Report 5 Merc-AMG GT R £143,245 OTR/£153,960 as tested

Since its arrival in the TG Garage, everyone who has managed to prise the keys of the brutally brilliant AMG GT R from my hands has enjoyed a Mediterranean climate and bone-dry warm roads. In these near-perfect driving conditions, the GT R is devastatingly effective on the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s (325/30 rear, 275/35 front). They key into the occasionally molten surface of any particular British B-road you care to point the GT R at and offer an insane grip level... the traction control light remaining firmly off. This, combined with the GT R’s wider track, aero trickery and rabid soundtrack, have delivered a level of capability and engagement hard to rival.

But as the temperature finally heads south, summer becomes a distant memory and the UK roads return to their more familiar damp/wet/strewn with autumn leaves state, the Hulk is revealing a whole different side of its personality. On a high-grip surface, it’s all too easy to forget that up to 577bhp is being delivered through the rear wheels as you delve into the seemingly limitless grip levels the GT R is capable of harnessing in dry conditions. Treat it with anything but respect on a wet road, and the traction control light will accompany your every move. While initially this causes mild swearing, the GT R is merely warning you of the potential beneath your right foot. As our hours together in different conditions increase, so does our confidence to push the GT R further.

Conscious that the GT R features the multistage traction control dial that allows you to set your level of jeopardy, (but equally conscious that the small print in the insurance suggests in no uncertain terms we keep this on unless on a circuit), I find myself looking for an excuse to book Dunsfold on a damp day. Until then, we’ll have to console ourselves with the fact our limited research shows the GT R will happily spin the rears in fourth gear... with traction on. Supercars should have a darker, more menacing side; the fact that the GT R can be so placid, capable and terrifying all in one package makes it a very special device.