With a thumping 430kW twin-turbocharged V8 the Mercedes-AMG GT R is claimed to pack in more motorsport technology than any production Mercedes ever before.
THE MERCEDES-AMG GT R has been revealed boasting aggressive styling and a twin-turbocharged V8 making 430kW and 700Nm of torque. It’s capable of hitting 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds.
According to Mercedes-AMG the GT R spent most of its development time lapping the ‘Green Hell’ of the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany (it even gets an exclusive AMG green hell mago paint job). The road-going version of the German car maker’s Nurburgring 24-hour winning GT3 car is billed as the brand’s most advanced road car to date.
Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG, said: “With the new AMG GT R, we have reached the next level of driving performance. This road-going sports car with motor-racing genes and innovative technical solutions offers an ultimate driving experience that allows people to feel our motorsport origins in every fibre. It combines the driving dynamics of our AMG GT3 racing car with the everyday practicality of the AMG GT. Those with petrol in their veins will be thrilled by the radical longitudinal and lateral acceleration, the precise turn-in, and the sensational grip. We have modified all performance-relevant components and linked them together intelligently for maximum driving dynamics”.
The tweaked AMG 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine in the AMG GT R has, as mentioned, an output of 430kW, which is 55kW more than the previous top-of-the-range engine in the GT S. The peak torque of 700Nm is available between 1900-5500rpm. According to AMG, the increase in performance was achieved via new turbochargers which feature modified compressor machining, smaller wastegate aneroid capsule and modified engine mapping. The boost pressure supplied by the turbochargers has been increased from 1.2 bar in the AMG GT to 1.35 bar. In addition, the exhaust ports have been optimised and the compression ratio modified. The entire combustion process has been retuned.
To ensure the thing can stop, the brake package has been re-worked and lightened. A standard-fit composite brake system features internally ventilated and perforated brake discs at the front (390mm) and 360mm on the rear axle. The brake callipers are painted yellow. A cost-optional ceramic composite brake system is available which saves 17kg in weight, “a longer service life and even better fade resistance thanks to the ceramic brake discs with a diameter of 402mm at the front and 360mm at the rear.
The AMG GT R runs a revised seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with improved cooling is intended to be “even more suitable for the racetrack”. “First gear in the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission has a longer ratio, while seventh gear and the final drive have shorter ratios to allow a more agile acceleration experience overall and very spontaneous response to fast accelerator pedal movements”. Via AMG Dynamic Select drivers can choose a variety of drive modes with the Race setting designed to provide the shortest shift time possible and a more aggressive engine sound.
The suspension has come in for re-working and borrows from motorsport, with the wishbones, steering knuckles and hub carriers on the front and rear axle are manufactured entirely out of forged aluminium in order to reduce the unsprung mass. The uniball spherical bearings on the lower wishbones of the rear axle are also inspired by motorsport. They are claimed to be more wear-resistant than wishbone bushings and “due to their design have no play, which means toe-in and camber do not change even under high loads”. The suspension also features active dampers.
As mentioned, the AMG GT R also features active rear-wheel steering, a first for an AMG model. Two steering actuators replace the conventional control arms on the rear axle via a “by-wire” system which is able to adjust the rear wheels within a predefined operating parameter. The maximum toe angle on the rear wheels of the AMG GT R is 1.5 degrees.
At up to 100 km/h, the rear wheels are turned in the opposite direction to the front wheels, corresponding to a “virtual shortening of the wheelbase”. Once speed exceeds 100km/h, the system turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels, corresponding to a virtual lengthening of the wheelbase and improving handling stability.
From a styling point of view the new AMG GT R looks like it might try and eat other cars for breakfast. But it’s styling is more about function than form. The wider front and rear wings allow an increased track width for better grip and “higher cornering speeds” (the blistered guards at the back increase body width by 57mm compared with the GT S). The new front fascia and the new AMG Panamerica grille will become a key design element on future AMG models.
The AMG GT R offers an “active aerodynamics profile”, which sits underneath the car and in front of the engine. When in Race mode and driving at 80km/h this scoop, automatically moves down by about 40mm to change the airflow. “This process results in what is known as the Venturi effect, which additionally “sucks” the car onto the road and reduces the front-axle lift by around 40 kilograms at 250km/h. The thing also offers active rear-wheel steering, nine-way adjustable traction control system and adjustable coil-over suspension with additional electronic control.
On the inside, the wide-looking dashboard is reminiscent of a powerful wing, or so AMG claims. There are four central spotlight-style vents and the individual vents at the right and left ends of the dashboard and, together with the high beltline and concave-shaped door panelling and the dynamic centre console, and a low seat position create a real cockpit feel for the AMG GT R.
Mercedes-AMG hasn’t announced pricing for the AMG GT R yet and isn’t expected to until later this year. The AMG GT R won’t be a limited run model.
