Mercedes AMG GT

Mercedes AMG GT Finance

The inspiration for Mercedes’ current flagship two-seat grand tourer could be traced back to the 300 SL ‘Gullwing’, and indeed the all-conquering and now priceless 300 SLR factory racers, both of the mid 1950s. Much more recently there was the 207mph, £350k Mercedes SLR McLaren of 2003 which was built in limited numbers (some 1,151 in total) over three years and served to showcase the Stuttgart and Woking firms’ collaborative technological prowess.

The McLaren SLR then provided inspiration for the gullwing-doored Mercedes SLS AMG of 2010. Built by AMG in greater but still limited numbers, the naturally-aspirated 563hp 6.2-litre V8 SLS became Mercedes new, and at around £165k, its somewhat more affordable flagship sportscar.

Which brings us to late 2014 and the unveiling of the AMG GT which, although fitted with conventionally-hinged doors, has very similar styling to the SLS and is very much the descendent of the recent SLS and SLR models.

The front/mid-mounted 4-litre twin-turbo V8 makes 476PS in GT guise, with the GTS producing 522PS and the GTR making 585PS. Power is transferred via a rear-mounted 7-speed dual-clutch sequential transmission to the rear wheels. Zero to 62mph comes up in 4.0 secs (GT), 3.7 secs (GTS) and 3.6 secs, while top speeds are a quoted 189, 193 and 198mph respectively.

In its verdict on the AMG GTS, Car magazine said, “Intoxicatingly fast, comfortable over long distances and blessed with balanced, accessible handling it manages to be both a relaxed grand tourer and an inspiring sports car. It’s a car you’d quickly feel at home driving, but would take far longer to tire of.”

As Mercedes’ sportscar range-topper it’s available as either a fastback coupé or roadster (GTR hardtop only) and it’s currently priced from £98,760 to £149,460 (on-the-road), with used asking prices ranging from circa £78k to £210k.