Mercedes AMG GT. More than just a sports car
The Mercedes AMG GT is a sports car of the German Mercedes-Benz group, produced since 2014. It's available in coupe, roadster, and liftback bodies. In 2020, first-generation of this car, restyled in 2017, was available in the Israeli market.
The manufacturer claims that the Mercedes AMG GT is a competitor to the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type, and Maserati GranTurismo. In the Formula One, the AMG GT is used as a "safety car", a special sports car to by used in case of emergency during the race.
First generation
The first generation has been produced since 2014 until now and was restyled in 2017 (as of 2020). The AMG GT was first presented on September 9, 2014, and the official worldwide premiere of the car took place in October, 2014, at the Paris Motor Show. All models are assembled at the plant in Sindelfingen, Germany.
Modifications
In early 2017, there were several versions of the car: the GT/GT S coupe, GT3, GT R,GT Roadster, and GT C Roadster. The first versions launched were the GT coupe with 476 hp and 600 Nm torque and the GT S coupe with 510 hp and a maximum torque of 650 Nm. In 2015, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was officially presented at the Geneva Motor Show. It was a racing version of the GT powered by a 6208 cc atmospheric V8 engine. The same engine can be found on the SLS AMG GT3. The body, made mostly of carbon-reinforced polymer, reduced the weight of the sports car to 1,300 kg to meet racing rules. In 2016, the AMG GT R coupe was designed. It was equipped with a twin-turbocharged 4-L direct-injection gasoline engine. The power of its power unit was 585 hp. With this engine and 7-speed automatic gearbox AMG GT R accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. The top speed is 318 km/h. The head of the sports division of Mercedes-Benz said that the GT R modification differed from the GT/GT S variants not only by its power and redesigned suspension, but also by active aerodynamic trim.
The manufacturer claims that the Mercedes AMG GT is a competitor to the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type, and Maserati GranTurismo.
In the same year, at the Paris Motor Show, the German group showed two roadster modifications: AMG GT Roadster and AMG GT C Roadtser. Every roadster had a bigger grille with vertical bars, hardened body with thicker sill walls, additional ribs, and safety rails. It also received a twin-turbocharged engine, the same as that of the coupe, but with modified settings to achieve 476 hp in the standard GT version and 557 hp in the GT C version. In 2017, the company announced the limited edition called Mercedes-AMG GT3 «Edition 50» with new exclusive gray body color, matte black stripe on the hood that says «50 Years AMG», carbon fiber sills and huge AMG logos on both spoiler and windshield.
Exterior and interior
The exterior design of the AMG GT is based on the SLS AMG. It has the same wide wheel arches and lower part, but the doors are not in the "falcon wing" style. The large hood and thin windshield also remained the same. The body of the sports car is 93% aluminum, the front unit is mainly made of magnesium.
The car is finished in nappa leather. The leather trim in also used in standard roadster versions. The large center console and decorative elements of leather and carbon polymer make the 2019/2020 Mercedes AMG GT superb and unique. The trunk may house a medium-sized suitcase. The engine, steering wheel, and suspension can be adjusted to suit your driving style.
Restyling in 2017
In early 2017, the AMG GT underwent restyling, which involved replacing the grille, boosting the engines, and adding some new options. A little later, the vehicle was further upgraded. In terms of design and equipment, the coupe and roadster are closer to the new 5-door liftback under the same name Mercedes AMG GT. The restyled 2-door version made its debut at the LA Auto Show. There are few technical changes: the suspension calibrations have been slightly changed and a slight aerodynamics optimization has been done to increase downforce. The power of the 4-L twin-turbocharged V8 has not changed, there are still 4 standard versions: basis GT (476 hp), GT S (522 hp), GT C (557 hp), and the extreme GT R (585 hp).
After the restyling, the exterior of this vehicle has changed drastically. The new 2018/2019 coupes and roadsters are distinguished by their new headlights, V-shaped running lights, and double exhaust pipes (different for each modification). The interior can boast of even more changes and novelties. A configurable 12.3-inch display has replaced the analog meters, the display of the media system has become wider (10.25 inches), the new steering wheel has touchpads integrated into spokes, the console has rectangular buttons instead of round ones. The AMG Dynamics function was implemented to adjust ESP control level regarding the selected mode (Basic, Advanced, Pro, and Master).
