The Mercedes-AMG GT - Designed by racers, enjoyed by you and I.

Taking a regular, street-going, mass-produced chassis and adding a whopping big engine makes for some interesting results. You get a car that goes like stink but may just have you finding religion when the time comes to try stop or turn it. When manufacturers do this, they at least add bigger brakes and tweak the suspension a little so that their newly dubbed “performance” model keeps the owner alive enough to become a repeat customer.

But what happens when you let the race engineers design the car – from the start?

You get the Mercedes-AMG GT, and its sibling, the GT S.

Designed and engineered by the crafty and very clever folk at Mercedes-Benz’s performance branch, Mercedes-AMG, the GT and GT S started out as a black canvas on which they poured their collective knowledge onto to create a bespoke 2-seater sports coupe that stops, goes and corners like a true sports car should.

A Rhapsody in Sheet Metal

While not a direct replacement for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, it is the successor. As such, many of the styling traits that were found in the SLS can be found in the GT. The SLS was, naturally, a historic nod to the W198 300 SL, with its gullwing doors, long bonnet and short rear overhang. The SLS was edgy but the GT finds new form in a rounded off profile.

There are iconic styling cues, like the curvaceous rear end, reminiscent of the Jaguar E-Type while many will criticize the taillights for looking a little too Porsche-like in their appearance.

The fender vents, complete with V8 BiTurbo badging, is a straight hark back to the 300 SL, as is the front airdam and large Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star badge. The long bonnet is a classic sports car look, one not seen very often in modern machinery.

The entire design isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, but it is functional too. The designers did away with the gull wing doors, opting for conventional doors as these require less roof bracing, thus reducing weight.

It’s slick, sleek and svelte and has all the makings of a true classic sports car.

Beauty is skin deep

While the exterior is a sight to behold, the clever engineering only truly manifests underneath what can be seen. The designers focused on getting the weight balance just right, as to promote a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution. As such, several techniques were employed to achieve this.

The GT employs a transaxle transmission setup which sees the 7-speed SpeedShift DCT gearbox relocated to the rear, just ahead of the rear axles. This moves some of the mechanical weight away from the front end and positions it in the rear. Due to the cab-back, roaster-style layout of the cabin, this creates a rather large transmission tunnel between the two occupants.

To further shift weight to the centre, many of the structural and mechanical components in the front end have been crafted from magnesium – a true, thoroughbred racing approach to vehicle construction.

The engine is placed far behind the front axle line, essentially creating a front-mid-engined layout in the GT and GT S and is made possible by moving the steering rack further forward. This all helps centralise the center of gravity and aide in the quest for a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

Not only is the Mercedes-AMG GT well balanced longitudinally, the lateral balance and vertical positioning of the CoG has also been considered.

Laterally, the engineers reversed the flow of the head on the 4.0-litre V8 so that the intakes rest on the outside and the two turbochargers are placed in the V created by the heads. This is known as a ‘Hot inside-V’ and keeps the overall size of the motor down, placing more weight in the center of the motor and not off the sides.

The vertical placement of the CoG is dropped lower by the implementation of a dry sump lubrication system. The smaller sump profile means that the entire engine can sit lower in the chassis.

Powertrain

Both models share the same M178 3982cc V8 BiTurbo with the GT producing 340kW at 6000rpm and 600Nm between 1600 and 5000rpm while the GT S punches out 375kW at 6250rpm and 650Nm between 1750 and 4750rpm.

These figures accelerate the GT to 100km/h from a standstill in only 4.0 seconds (3.8 for the GT S) and onto a top speed of 304km/h.

In-gear acceleration sees the motor take a fraction of a second to compose itself before reeling you towards the horizon. It certainly isn’t a car for the inexperienced – a careless prod of the accelerator will have you plowing into the car in front of you. Movements, especially when electing to use full throttle, require careful consideration. This car puts you on the wrong side of the law disturbingly quickly.

The party piece of the AMG GT is the sound. With a selectable exhaust note, courtesy of an actuated vane in the exhaust system, the GT can go from a subtle V8 burble to a cracking, popping DTM-inspired howl. Its raspiness is welcomed and aurally pleasing, eliciting grins from all who are in ear shot – it certainly is loud. Downshifts evoke snarling pops, especially when the gearbox has been placed in manual mode and the steering mounted paddles are used.

Dynamic Package

It doesn’t only go, it stops and turns too. The GT S is gifted with larger, race-compound brake discs and six-pot calipers while the GT has to make do with slightly smaller discs. This doesn’t stop the GT from being any less competent and in all, actually I personally preferred the more progressive feel of the GT over the GT S.

Steering feel is direct and communicative when set to Sport or Sport+ mode (Race mode is a further setting available in the GT S) and eases up when swung back to Comfort mode, making the GT easy enough to drive, with a surprisingly small turning circle.

The GT S benefits from active engine mounts which stiffen up on the side opposite to a turn, promoting a more stable, flatter cornering attitude. The GT does without this but it is hardly noticeable in daily or spirited driving and is only felt when doing serious track work.

Luxury and style

While all of the above would have you thinking that the interior of the GT is a stripped out, no-frills affair, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Wrapped in leather and adorned with raised stitching, the interior of the GT is an opulent affair. Brushed aluminium switches are, in fact, genuine aluminium for the most part. Round air vents rest below the multimedia screen, overshadowing the center console with touch sensitive rotary dial interface for the Comand navigation and infotainment system.

Flanking each side of the gear selector are buttons for various functions, the start button, mode selection switch, manual gearbox selection, exhaust vane and suspension settings. At first it can be a little overwhelming, but one soon finds a rhythm and learns the layout.

A strict two-seater, the GT offers a fair amount of packing space underneath the rear hatch, with a retractable cover offering some protection from the sun and prying eyes.

Turn some heads

The Mercedes-AMG GT may be slightly impractical for daily use with its somewhat limited seating arrangements, wide track and low seating position – it can also prove to be quite thirsty if you are eager with the right foot. It’s hard to behave in this car though – it garners attention from petrol attendants, passers-by who heard you coming before they saw you and anyone that isn’t engrossed in their mobile phone. Some may tire of the attention quickly while others will revel in it. Either way, time spent in the GT will be memorable.

The Mercedes-AMG GT starts at R 1 776 000 and comes standard with Mercedes-Benz’s 6 year / 100 000km maintenance plan. Pricing on the GT S starts at R 2 142 600.