AFFALTERBACH'S MASTERPIECE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedesamggt_2017

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 30

The 'C190'-series first generation AMG GT Coupe was a deeply desirable everyday supercar that built purposefully on the heritage of its SLS predecessor. It's uncompromising, intoxicating and very, very fast.

Modelsword count: 5

2dr Coupe (4.0 V8 petrol)

Historyword count: 656

The first Mercedes was a racing car. Ever since, the brand has had competition in its bloodline, drawn upon throughout a rich history of motorsport-orientated coupes and roadsters. Cars like this one, the Mercedes-AMG GT. Mercedes-AMG is a brand that enthusiasts are now well used to, its primary focus being the creation of high performance versions of usually mundane Mercedes models. Every so often though, this Affalterbach division gets let off the leash to do its own thing and on the first occasion that happened, we got something very special - the SLS of 2009. This tribute to the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing model of the Fifties proved to be a landmark car for the brand, one that proved the Three-Pointed Star capable of mixing it with the might of Ferrari near the summit of the supercar spectrum. It's one thing though, to prove such point in building a low volume, exorbitantly-priced supercar. Quite another to replicate that level of excellence at lower prices and with much greater production volume. That's the fresh challenge Mercedes set itself when it launched this GT model in 2015. The brand insisted that this car wasn't a direct SLS replacement, but it still sat on a modified version of that car's floorplan, was still primarily fashioned around similar aluminium spaceframe underpinnings and still used much the same 'AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT' 7-speed paddleshift transmission. It was still hand-built on the same bespoke Sindelfingen production line too. With the GT though, all of these things were brought within the reach of buyers in a much more competitive part of the supercar segment. Where the SLS battled against Ferraris and Lamborghinis, this car, being up to 40% more affordable than that one was, had its focus shifted to arguably much tougher rivals, cars like Audi's R8 and various Porsche 911s. But it was well equipped for the task. As with the SLS, buyers still got a V8 beneath the bonnet, but this 4.0-litre engine was smaller and quicker-responding, with lighter weight and twin turbos comfortably compensating for the power deficit over that old car's 6.2-litre normally aspirated unit. The experience here though, wasn't just about power: Mercedes set out with this GT to create the most involving driving machine ever to sit in its regular model line-up. The 510hp GTS version was the first GT Coupe model to go on sale in April 2015, that model joined by a lesser 476hp version at the end of that year. Next to be added to the range was an 'Edition 1' flagship model based on the S, which had a different body kit, a big fixed rear wing, carbon aerodynamic fixings at the front and staggered 19 and 20-inch wheels in gloss black. There was a light update in 2017 which saw a few cosmetic visual changes and the introduction of another variant, the GT C, arriving with 550hp, a wider body and active rear steering. For the top of the range, a very rare GT racer-style GT R variant was introduced with 585hp. This flagship performance variant supplemented the GT's normal 'Ride Control' suspension with adjustable coilover springs and included an active aero underbody fairing, a manually-adjustable rear wing and 9-mode AMG traction control. It was adopted as the F1 official safety car in 2018. An even harder-core GT R Pro variant arrived in 2019, which had extra downforce, tweaked suspension and a better power-to-weight ratio. 2019 also saw another light facelift for the mainstream models. What about the Convertible Roadster body style? Well that arrived in 2017 and was offered in base GT and GTC forms. It used the GTR's underbody air management system and offered a 3-layer fabric hood that could be deployed in 11 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph, plus there was a wind deflector and the brand's usual Airscarf system. This MK1 'C190' GT model left production in mid-2023 and the replacement model was only available as a Coupe.

What You Getword count: 306

Any supercar must be an eye-catching thing. The old SLS certainly was and, like that car, this GT coupe model makes quite an impression at first glance. Yes, a little disappointingly, it lacks the exotic gullwing doors that characterised its classic predecessor, but that's intentional, all part of a drive not only to reduce weight, complexity and cost but also to give this machine its own distinct character. It's also shorter and narrower than that previous Mercedes-AMG design, with aesthetic aggression that was ramped up several more degrees. Get one of these in your mirrors and you'd move over. Quickly. Take a seat behind the wheel and the SLS underpinnings are betrayed by the way the designers tried to retain that car's huge over-sized central transmission tunnel, which came in a choice of chromed, high-gloss or carbon finishes. In a nod to the V8 engine up-front, it features eight 'AMG DRIVE UNIT' control buttons laid out in a V-formation. It's deliciously unnecessary to have as many as four jet engine-style chromed vents at the top of the centre stack, but it looks great and adds to the whole 'aviation'-style theme. Just above these sits an 8.4-inch 'COMMAND Online' infotainment screen that's far more cleanly integrated into the dash than it is on most other Mercedes models and features the usual sophisticated graphics that make those of every other rival system look dull and cheap. And out back? With the hatch raised, there's a similar sort of wide, shallow boot compartment to that you'd get in a rival Jaguar F-TYPE SVR. The space provided though, is significantly less - 350-litres, or 285-litres if you close the retractable load cover to keep your belongings out of sight. Still, that's more than you get in an Audi R8 and it's enough to take two golf bags lengthways or crossways.

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