Track-bred Mercedes-AMG GT R breaks cover

Track-focused Mercedes-AMG GT R debuts at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Mercedes-AMG division has unveiled the faster, lighter and hardcore version of its flagship GT sportscar. Billed as the AMG GT R, the new mental iteration of the standard sportscar is a track-focused version, taking aim at the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Let’s start with the updates given to the powertrain in the GT R. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 has been tweaked to produce 577bhp from 503bhp of the standard car. Torque figure is also up by 50Nm to 700Nm. Mercedes’ engineers have also reprogrammed the software of the dual-clutch 7-speed auto gearbox for quicker shifts. This means the GT R will do a 0-100km/h run in 3.6 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than the AMG GT S – and will clock a higher speed of 319km/h! Brakes have also been uprated to cope up with the additional firepower while carbon-ceramic discs will be offered as optional extra.

But because the AMG GT R is being aimed at track drivers, straight line speed isn’t of much relevance. And for the same reason, it has been developed around the Nurburgring racetrack. Mercedes-AMG even goes on to claim that it’s the ‘Beast of the Green Hell’ (hence the ‘AMG Green Hell Mango’ paint scheme). How? Read on…

The body of the GT R is inspired by Mercedes’ AMG GT3 racer. It has a more aggressive stance with wheel arches stretched by 46mm at front and 57mm at back because of the wider track. There’s also that new ‘Panamerica’ front grille that stands out. Then you have a huge rear wing that generates 155kg of downforce; new lightweight 10-spoke forged wheels shod with Michelin Cup 2 tyres are there to provide glue like grip levels.To top it off, it comes with a three-mode adaptive suspension setup, uprated springs and thicker anti-roll bar at rear and an active rear-wheel steering.

A lot of weight savings have been done by installing a lightweight active exhaust system and aluminium components in the suspension. The standard-fit carbon-fibre roof is also there but now the engine mounts and several chassis components are also made using carbon-fibre to save weight. The end-result is 15 kilograms less weight than the original car.

Mercedes-AMG will put the new GT R on sale from November this year with deliveries commencing in Europe by March 2017. Its price has not been announced at the moment, but Mercedes-AMG has hinted that it’s not a limited run production model. May be you would be able to see one in India in the coming time...

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