2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R
The most powerful street legal GT yet
Mercedes-AMG debuted the GT R—the latest iteration of their two door sports car—at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Heavily inspired by its racing version sibling, the GT 3 (which won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th place with the five cars entered in the grueling 24 hour race at Germany’s Nürburgring just a few weeks ago), the street legal GT R features a lot of new technology, material innovation and more curvy lines.
The GT R has good genes. It’s lighter than both the GT and GT S and sports the seductive Panamericana grille which debuted on the GT 3, giving the car a well-earned “yes, I know I’m good looking” snarkiness. The stance is wider to accommodate bigger tires, creating curvier lines due to its larger front and rear fenders. New body panels in various flavors of aluminum and carbon fiber, a rigid rear wing that can be manually adjusted, a fender vent and fin that allows hot air from the engine to escape and an air management system controlled by louvers that adjust the car to provide optimum aerodynamics add to its looks and performance. The chassis features a front deck made from magnesium, forged aluminum wheels, and new components like the carbon fiber tunnel cross which provide rigidity, all while reducing weight.
There are driving tools aplenty—an adjustable coil over suspension, adjustable ESP traction control and AMG Ride Control adaptive damping, but the car’s most exciting new feature is its active rear wheel steering, a first in a production AMG vehicle. All of this is propelled by its 4.0L V8 Biturbo engine, delivering 577 hp and accelerating from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 198 mph.
The 2017 AMG GT (starting at $111,200) and GT S (starting at 131,200) are available late summer 2016. The 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R will be available in the US summer 2017 for $131,200. Visit Mercedes-AMG global for more information.
Images by Evan Orensten
