With booming global sales of AMG-badged Benzes (32,000 last year, and potentially 40,000 this year) the Mercedes performance division is on a roll. And after finally unveiling the new GT sports car it's not showing signs of slowing down.
No ballerina warm-up act, just classic AMG V8s
There is no London dress code, no 90-minute musical. Only the Chairman of the Board of AMG telling us why this year means so much to AMG and so much to more to its parent company, Daimler. It's all about the cars, from the moment we leave a dark and pre-dawn UK in our fleet of AMGs to the minute we arrive at Affalterbach.
The build-up to the on-stage reveal is a series of workshops, speaking to the engineers and designers responsible for the new car.
What is the AMG GT?
It's AMG's second-ever complete car after the successful but low-volume SLS. No prices will be revealed until next month, but the base model is supposed to be going up against the Porsche 911 which means it should be around £100,000 minimum. Not cheap, but it's half the price of the first car and probably not very far away in absolute performance either.
The AMG team poses with its new baby
The test-mules, wrapped in hideous disruptive patterns have been a common sight for over a year. Harris
took a ride in one
only last month, so the baby SLS proportions are no surprise at all.
More striking is the clean look, finally revealed and devoid of excess sharp lines. "We took out lines and details and asked ourselves, does it still look good? If it did, then we still took out more," says Robert Lesnik, Daimler's director of exterior design for passenger cars. So there's that and the continuation of the new S-Class coupe design language, which includes those controversially un-Mercedes rear lights.
Under the skin
The new chassis started as a development of the larger SLS, explains Senior Manager of Body Development, Jorg Miska, but it rapidly transformed into something new. "There's 18kg gone from the roof structure, now it's all aluminium alloy," he explains. "With no gullwing doors to support we didn't need to incorporate steel up there, which is great for the centre of gravity."
SLS basis but smaller, lighter and punchier
The rear hatch is steel, he admits. "It turned out to be the best combination of weight and structure." To create the same shape in the same strength would have actually made the alloy version bulkier and heavier he claims.
New materials are also included in the GT chassis, helping it to boast a chassis weight (including doors, bonnet and hatch) of less than 300kg. "We used a magnesium alloy for the front module, a first for us," says Miska. "It's also got great vibration properties as well as strength and lightness, so the lights attach directly to it."
With a comprehensive combination of bolts, welding, bonding glue, box section, sheet and cast mouldings, the (nearly) all-aluminium chassis is a thing of beauty.
Two models at launch
There will be two models at launch, the GT and the GT S. The regular GT will make 462hp at 6,000rpm from its new M178 V8 engine. The other major mechanical difference between the brothers will be the standard locking diff on the GT. The 510hp GT S gets an electronically actuated version, allowing the software to apply variable locking rates to be applied in both acceleration and the overrun.
Cleaned-up styling is sleeker still than SLS
Talking of software; both cars benefit from AMG's dynamic driving modes (C, S, S+ and I), but only the S will get RACE mode with the fastest shift speeds from the seven-speed double-clutch 'box. Likewise for the suspension, the big brother S gets the dynamically adjustable damping as standard. While you can get the normal GT with this system, it will be an expensive extra.
The final out-of-sight difference will be the extra Dynamic Plus package, available only for the fancier brother of the two cars. Adjustable gearbox mounts work in tune with the adjustable locking differential via a separate controller, christened the ACC (AMG Chassis Contoller). For the unspecified price of this package, you'll also get more negative camber and a re-tune of the speed-sensitive steering to match. And a fancy steering wheel with yellow highlights to complement the 360km/h/200mph clock of the S.
Spot the difference
Outside there will be some quite subtle differences between the two quite different models. The most obvious will be the bigger rear wheels of the GT S model, the 19x11J items being swapped for 20s, giving it a 'staggered' look. Front brake discs grow from 360mm all-round to 390mm at the front, and only the S gets the option of some 402mm ceramics. The body-coloured front splitter morphs into a carbon version for the more expensive model too.
S-Class coupe style rear lights
While Dan has already comprehensively geeked out over the new M178 earlier, we did get a couple more nuggets of information from the V8 engine developer Thomas Ramsteiner."Obviously we started with the AMG four-cylinder as our base, and this engine shares the bore and stroke and more. The biggest challenge was the thermal stresses, but that's all solved beautifully," he says. Quizzed as to whether this engine would be stressed in traffic, the answer revealed a little more about what could be done with this engine.
"It's very strong and the cooling system is very robust. We're currently working to a limit of 130bar of crankcase pressure, but it's really much stronger and can run to 140bar easily." How much more compression is that? What kind of power is possible?
"Well, look at how much one 2.0-litre engine makes in the A45 AMG and just double it, if you want to guess..."
Well, we make that an easy 720hp. Which would make a superb Black Series and would mean the future of AMG is even brighter now than ever. Result.
Prices will be released next month and we'll put them here as soon as we get them.
MERCEDES-AMG GT
Engine: 3,982cc V8, turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 462@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@1,600-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.0sec (claimed)
Top speed: 189mph (claimed)
Weight: 1,615kg (EU)
MPG: 30.4mpg (claimed)
CO2: 216g/km
Price: TBA
MERCEDES-AMG GT S
Engine: 3,982cc V8, turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510@6,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 480@1,750-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.8 sec (claimed)
Top speed: 193mph (claimed)
Weight: 1,645kg (EU)
MPG: 30.1mpg (claimed)
CO2: 219g/km
Price: TBA
