Of all the cars that Mercedes-AMG currently sells, it might be the 4-door GT 63 that best evokes the firm’s old-school mentality. It has the brooding, prizefighter-in-an-Armani-suit looks and it has an absurdly powerful, hard-charging V8. That it is also actually a very decent car to drive and sit in is almost just the confetti; you buy one because it looks and sounds the business. Which does present something of a hurdle for the electric car eventually charged with replacing it.
Obviously, Mercedes is well into its EV revolution elsewhere in the lineup, but AMG’s standalone model is very different from the comparatively staid, fast-in-a-straight-line stuff we’ve seen so far. Previewed by a Vision 2025 concept, the 4-door GT replacement gets a bespoke platform - the so-called AMG.EA - which has been designed from day one as a 'technological trailblazer' and has been lined up to receive a new generation of axial-flux electric motors from Yasa, a British startup acquired in 2021 specifically to work on the project. The manufacturer reckons they offer 'an unparalleled mix of power density, size, and weight.'
If that prospect doesn’t immediately float your boat, it’s worth pointing out that this is the same firm (before it became a wholly-owned Mercedes subsidiary) that debuted its electric motors in the Koenigsegg Regera - and then announced Ferrari as its first volume OEM customer with the SF90. So it’s got some serious game, in other words. And while anything as specific as total output is mostly guesswork at this stage, it’s safe to assume that Mercedes-AMG has the 1,108hp produced by the Taycan Turbo GT in its gun sights. Or potentially as a dot in its rearview mirror.
Either way, one look at the test mule confirms the Porsche as a key rival. The low-slung, prominently-spoiler’d car speaks not only to the AMG.EA platform underneath but also the bold design promises that were made with the concept. As ever, the visible details on a development model be taken with a hefty pinch of salt - although the fact that the incoming EV seems to have also adopted a very similar silhouette to its V8-powered predecessor must be taken as a good sign. We couldn’t stop staring at the GT 63; with nothing to listen to, the electrified follow-up will need to be at least as good-looking to exit from its shadow.
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