Page 64 - BFM F/W 2024

I T WAS AN AUDACIOUS IDEA TO BEGIN WITH, EVEN FOR THE INVETERATE when you’re not thrashing it like a getaway driver. And what’s that odd space
hot-rodding horsepower addicts at AMG. Back in 2014, the crew from Affalterbach launched an all-out assault on the very heart of the sports car market. Their weapon of choice? The first-generation AMG GT. It was a low, compact, and slightly menacing V8-engined two-seater built from the ground up to delight drivers. AMG was gunning for their rivals just 20 kilometres down the road in Zuffenhausen, with the GT landing as the first direct shot at the Porsche 911.
Or, so we thought back in 2014. In reality, the first-generation AMG GT turned out to be something else entirely. It was raw, twitchy, and unapologetically hard-core. It was also tiny, with no rear seats and an impossibly compact greenhouse that barely fit two adults. It was beautiful, in a violent sort of way, evoking the iconic 300 SL Gullwing of 1954 without a hint of retro design. Later iterations turned up the heat considerably. Introduced in 2016, the GT R offered 577 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. In 2019, the GT R Pro was a wild, road-going race car with fully adjustable coilover suspension and a carbon-fibre wing so sharp it could cut glass. Finally, the limited-edition 2021 AMG GT Black Series offered a frankly terrifying 720 horsepower in a package studded with even
more pointy carbon-fibre wings, splitters, vents, diffusers, and canards.
Today, with the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear the first-generation AMG GT was never really a 911 rival; it was its own thing, part muscle car, part sports car, part track-day monster, and every bit a fire-breathing AMG. Its only major compromise was that most people wouldn’t want to drive one every day. It’d be
about as practical as using an F-35 fighter as a shopping cart.
Enter the all-new, second-generation AMG GT: take two for AMG’s plot to
overthrow the sports car establishment and steal the 911’s crown.
Settling into a long highway cruise, something that would’ve been a challeng e in the original AMG GT, the second-gen feels surprisingly relaxed. The steering wheel isn’t constantly fidgeting over bumps and cambers. The cabin itself is relatively quiet. The adaptive suspension in its “Comfort” setting is shockingly comfortable. Even dialing in Sport+ or Race mode leaves enough give in the dampers that you won’t need a trip to the dentist to redo your fillings afterwards. The standard Burmester stereo sounds decent and we’d bet the high-end Burmester 3D stereo — a $7,020 option — would sound downright spectacular. On first impressions, the new AMG GT is a rather pleasant place to be, even
behind the driver? Rear seats. Yes, the new model finally offers the option for 2+2 seating. The rear seats are tiny but they can take a child seat, which — like the 911 — makes this sports car much easier to justify to a significant other (“It’s so practical — there’s even space for the kids!”).
For the first time, the AMG GT also has all-wheel drive, a move that will surely make it even more appealing to Canadian drivers.
“We are responding even more to the needs of our customers,” says Mi- chael Schiebe, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “The new AMG GT Coupe combines highly dynamic driving characteristics and outstanding sportiness with a high level of everyday comfort,” he explains.
In other words, AMG listened to its clients, took in feedback from the old model, and made the second-gen GT more practical. Most drivers wouldn’t have guessed, but it now shares a platform with the new Mercedes SL convertible, a continental cruiser par excellence.
The compromise for adding a second row of seats and all-wheel drive is, unsurprisingly, a weightiness and a general softness to the new car. It varies depending on the model, but compared to the old car, the new one has packed on around 250 kilograms (550 pounds). In addition to the pounds, it’s also packing a higher price tag; the AMG GT 55 4Matic starts at $155,000, while the GT 63 4Matic is pushing $200,000. Add a few options and the usual fees and you’re looking at approximately $250,000.
Turn off the highway and head to your favourite winding back road and you’ll find the new GT isn’t as manic or twitchy as before, which is either good or bad depending on what you’re looking for. The motor is as mighty as ever though; the familiar hand-built 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 now churns out 577 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque from just 2,500 revs. The steering is still lightning quick, and the chassis is more than capable of putting a smile on the face of even the most jaded driver. AMG being AMG, the V8 still sounds glorious, too.
Car critics are going to complain that something has been lost in the move to a bigger, heavier, more comfortable and practical AMG GT. But most drivers can safely ignore the critics. For all but the most diehard driving enthusiasts, the second-generation AMG GT is a better car than its predecessor. At long last the AMG GT is also a legitimate threat to that rear-engined sports car from Zuffenhausen. This will be a showdown for the ages.
64 BFM / FW24 AUTO / TAKE TWO