2017 Mercedes-AMG GT / GT S

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Dialing 911 From Goodwood

 Mercedes-AMG GT / GT S

When it comes to packing maximum vehicular excitement into a single weekend, few venues can match the sheer intensity of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. While the surfeit of events held annually in the orbit of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and various other high-profile auto shows suffer no shortage of horsepower, few pack as much vehicular lunacy—and as many lunatics—into a single four-day weekend as Goodwood. As such, we can’t think of a better venue to publicly debut the glowworm-green, 577-hp Mercedes-AMG GT R, the highly anticipated track-focused variant of the maker’s performance flagship, the Mercedes-AMG GT.

Green Manalishi
To call the GT R’s debut exterior color “green” is almost an understatement. Officially dubbed AMG Green Hell Magno, in tribute to the nickname given to the Nürburgring’s north loop by Jackie Stewart back in the day, as well as the massive amount of development time spent there for the GT R, the matte finish is so intense that it looks as if it were applied by dipping the GT R into the same vat where green Skittles are made.

Combine the green finish with the LED brows on the headlamps and the large outboard vents, and the front view has the vibe of an angry amphibian predator. The grille, named AMG Panamericana and making its first production-car appearance on the GT R, closely resembles the unit employed on the Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car and is intended to evoke the grille used on the 300SL that won the 1952 Carrera Panamericana Mexican road race. That it works as well as it does with the GT R’s otherwise contemporary design is surprising—and encouraging, given that we hear the grille will appear on several more products in the near future.

The lower middle intake is fully modern and has electrically operated louvers to direct airflow for optimum efficiency. Closed at speed, they reduce drag; if required, they can open to send fresh air to the intercooler heat exchangers. A small carbon-fiber splitter that resides below the chin is said to increase downforce. The design of the front fenders (also made of carbon fiber) has been altered, resulting in a width increase of about 1.8 inches; the rear fenders are aluminum and increase width by 2.2 inches versus the standard model. Carbon fiber also is found in the unpainted roof—which not only saves weight but also offers a tiny respite from the sea of green—and in back with a diffuser and a manually adjustable wing. Look closely to spot a horizontal incision just below the hatch; it’s there to help let heat escape from the new center-mounted exhaust.

Hidden from view in the underbody is a new movable aerodynamic element ahead of the engine. This carbon-fiber component moves automatically downward 1.6 inches at 50 mph when the car is in Race mode, creating a venturi effect that, as Mercedes says, “sucks” the car to the road; it reduces front-axle lift by about 88 pounds at 155 mph while leaving the downforce on the rear axle unchanged. When activated, a radiator air outlet opens to guide air toward the double rear diffuser, which is said to improve the handling stability of the rear axle while also routing more cooling air to the brake rotors. Concerns about damaging the component by bottoming out are addressed with a spring-mounting system that allows it to flex upward easily. At the GT R’s top speed of 198 mph, the combined influence of all of these aerodynamic features increases downforce by 342 pounds over the standard AMG GT.

The GT R’s chassis is also a study in weight saving. Some 90 percent of the spaceframe components are aluminum, while a carbon-fiber torque tube between the engine and the seven-speed transaxle—as on the GT’s predecessor, the SLS—is said to be 40 percent lighter than the component in the standard GT S. A cross-shaped carbon-fiber underbody brace replaces the steel one in the GT S, saving weight and increasing torsional rigidity. A pair of carbon-fiber stiffening struts in the engine compartment are 50 percent lighter than their aluminum counterparts.

You’ve Got the Power, Stand Up and Shout
Affalterbach turns up the wick by 74 ponies and 37 lb-ft for this revised version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, giving the GT R 577 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. To achieve that output, AMG employed new turbochargers, a revised intake, new forged-aluminum pistons with a higher compression ratio, and remapped engine-control software to exploit the fresh hardware. Maximum boost available from the valley-mounted turbos is 19.6 psi (up from 17.6 psi in the GT S), and the units spin at up to 186,000 rpm.

AMG claims to have lightened the flywheel by 1.5 pounds for quicker engine response, and the cooling system was upgraded to ensure full engine output even in high-heat and racing conditions. A dry-sump oiling system keeps everything lubricated even under high g loads. Constructed of thin-wall stainless-steel tubing and fitted with titanium mufflers, the GT R–specific exhaust saves a claimed 13 pounds over the standard car’s. A center-mounted tailpipe is accompanied by a pair of additional exhaust outlets located off-center in the rear diffuser. A beefed-up version of the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic from the GT S shuttles torque to the rear wheels, and nine traction-control settings—all reportedly derived from programming designed for the GT3 racing version—permit drivers to plan ahead for how many pairs of spare undershorts to bring along.

Mercedes-AMG GT / GT S

It should come as little surprise that the GT R posts the quickest zero-to-60-mph time of any Mercedes-AMG GT this side of the full-race GT3. Typically a tad conservative with its performance estimates, Mercedes-AMG is citing a zero-to-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 198 mph. Those are 0.2 second quicker and 5 mph faster than the figures claimed for the 2017 GT S. But we’ve already clocked a 2016 GT S at three seconds flat to 60 mph along the way to an 11.2-second quarter-mile at 127 mph, so expect the more powerful R to be quicker still. The soon-to-be-released 2017 “base” GT reportedly will reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and top out at 189 mph.

s the new halo for the brand, the GT R also will employ rear-wheel steering. Two electromechanical actuators alter rear-wheel toe angle by 1.5 degrees to improve handling and aid in evasive maneuvers. Entirely electronic, this system has no mechanical connection to the steering wheel.

In addition to continuously variable adaptive damping with three settings Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ the GT R–specific suspension has springs with manually adjustable preload to optimize handling both on and off the racetrack.

Forged-aluminum 10-spoke wheels wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber measuring 275/35ZR-19 in front and 325/30ZR-20 in the rear. AMG must have plenty of faith in the GT S’s standard binders, as the same 15.4-inch front and 14.2-inch rear units carry over here unchanged, save for the yellow finish on the calipers. Those looking for a little more pinch from the brakes can specify a high-performance carbon-ceramic brake system that upgrades the front discs to 15.8-inches and offers a longer service life and better fade resistance.

Mercedes-AMG GT / GT S

A lot has been made of the GT’s attempt to horn in on Porsche 911 territory, including from us here at C/D. As the gold standard of a class that includes players such as the Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Jaguar F-type, and Maserati GranTurismo, the 911 is consigned to life with a target on its back. And seeing that Mercedes-AMG plans on making as many GT Rs as it can sell, we don’t expect a cease-fire any time soon. Pricing for Mercedes’ latest 911-aimed howitzer hasn’t yet been released, but we figure the Mercedes-AMG GT R should ring in around the $200,000 mark when it hits showrooms next summer. Source by caranddriver.com

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