Remember June 24? While most were either cheering or weeping over the EU Referendum result, Lewis Hamilton was getting ready to fly into Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands and reveal the wild
Mercedes-AMG GT R
. He did so with such a flash, most of us were left hoping you wouldn't need a $50m contract in order to afford one.
Now, finally, Mercedes-AMG has revealed you don't. You actually need £143,245, which for a car that sounds as good and has been as thoroughly re-engineered as this, seems like reasonable value when you consider the wild world of car values at the moment. Sure, it's not exactly 911 GT3 RS level, but this does have rather a lot more power than the Porsche: 585 of Affalterbach's very loudest horses.
It's just a pity the AMG Green Hell Magno paint from the launch car is such a hellish £7,500 cost option. Once you've added that, and the must-have AMG Track Package (four point harnesses, fire extinguisher and roll cage) for £1,695 and a set of carbon ceramics for £5,995, then you're looking at £160K. Goodness, that's almost TWO day's wages for Lewis.
Lucky Mercedes-AMG has a bargain new drop-top GT alternative, then. For £50K less, you can now order the £110,495 AMG GT Roadster, offered in base guise with the 476hp 4.0-litre V8 biturbo. And for £139,445, you can take the AMG GT C Roadster, compete with in-betweener 557hp engine. Basically, it's a GT R 'lite', with a nice little saving to boot.
The GT C gets the same AMG Panamericana grille as the GT R, the Active Air Control aero system and the epic AMG performance exhaust system that could be heard echoing so ferociously around the supercar paddock of this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. It has the same 19-inch front/20-inch rear AMG alloys as the GT R as well, although obviously it lacks the GT R's carbon fibre roof. Merc says the triple-layer fabric soft-top offers a choice of three colours (black, beige, burgundy) and opens or closes in 11 seconds, up to 31mph.
Both models are on sale now. And if you can't afford either but still want to enjoy the kudos of driving the same car as an F1 World Champion's company hack, you can take a standard GT Coupe from £98,195, with the AMG GT S priced from £111,495.