With last year’s final hurrah of the SLS AMG, people have been looking forward to the introduction of Mercedes-Benz’s newest flagship sports car. While we had high expectations just based on the brilliant brute that was its predecessor, the actual Mercedes AMG GT, unveiled last night, is just all manners of unanticipated awe. Forget hot, this car is on fire!
Arguably the best-looking flagship the company’s ever made, it brings classic sports car proportions with just enough adornment to look aggressive without going overboard. Hands down, it looks fun. Just absolute fun.
The Mercedes AMG GT will come in two trims: a base GT with a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 (with dry sump lubrication, no less) putting out 456 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque; and a GT S with a similar motor that’s supercharged to 503 horsepower and 456 pound-feet of torque. Preliminary estimates put the 0 to 60 time at 3.9 seconds for the GT and 3.7 seconds for the GT S, with top speeds pushing towards 200 mph. Engine is front-mid mounted, by the way, with power funneling solely to the rear wheels via a racing-inspired seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. Other key details include an all-aluminum spaceframe, aluminum double wishbone suspension on all four corners, and adjustable electronically-controlled damping.
Inside, the two-seater cabin is styled in a cockpit-like configuration, with a series of buttons and knobs allowing the driver to tweak everything from the drive mode to the active exhaust to the adaptive suspension. It will come with the Comand infotainment system, along with numerous safety tech, including adaptive braking, collision prevention assistance, parking proximity sensors, and more.
The US will be the lucky host to the first launch of the Mercedes AMG GT, which is slated to hit showrooms in the spring of 2015. No pricing has been announced.
