In the insane world of Mercedes AMG, there is a hierarchy developing — a sort of six-member Seal Team of the best of the best (of the best). You have the 43 badged AMGs, 45 badged AMGs, 63 AMGs and then of course the 65 badged AMG which are bits of moniker metal fitted only to the very expensive, bank-account-breaking cars that Mercedes offers. But (and this is a very obvious but) there is one breed that sits a plinth above the rest. It’s the flagship car which, in their current offering, is the AMG-GT.
Launched in 2014 and even used as the official F1 safety car, it’s the best AMG that money can buy. Or is it? Well, never one to sit on their laurels, AMG now sells an even more powerful version called AMG GT-R which will be launched in India on 21 August. Ahead of its arrival, here are some highlights of the new car.
Extra horsepower
The standard AMG-GT is powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 which produces 503bhp/650Nm. However, in the BIC recording-breaking GT-R trim, 74 more horse powers have been squeezed out of the engine, pushing this car close to the supercar territory. The torque has also been stepped up and now stands at 699Nm.
Rear wheel assist
To help an AMG GT-R go crazy fast around a corner, the wizards from Affalterbach have added rear-wheel assist. This ability of the rear wheels to turn while boosting cornering speeds and handling also makes the car maneuverable in tight situations.
New aero bits
Downforce is key and Mercedes has used this to unlock (haha!) the potential of the car to stay on the ground. You get moveable new aero bits underneath, grille and a rear diffuser. While it is not an aero bit, we would still like to mention that this car gets bespoke sticky Michelin rubbers which, if you have figured out, works into the aero package.
Nine stage traction control
To help the driver rein in the 578bhp power that the AMG GT-R’s twin-turbo V8 pumps out, the car has been fitted with a nine-stage traction control system. Such a vast number of steps means you can have different levels of control as you aim to hoon your machine around each corner of the race track.
BIC record breaker
When the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) was built, Mercedes took the SLS AMG around it and lapped it in 2 minutes and 12 seconds. The AMG GT-R, by virtue of it being lighter and smaller, has thrashed this record and lapped the circuit in two minutes and nine seconds.
