1. C O V E R S T O R Y
Mercedes-AMG GT S
64 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JANUARY 2015
SHARPENING
THE HAMMER
I
T WAS PRETTY surreal watching Steve McQueen’s epic
car chase in the movie Bullitt from my Emirates seat,
knowing that the very next day, I too would be careering
up and down the same hilly streets of San Francisco. I
woke the next morning to the sound of murmuring V8s
and looked down from my hotel room to see a row of GTs
silently burbling into position outside the entrance to the
St. Regis. While Steve’s muscled ’Stang cut a patriotic
profile against the San Francisco skyline in the late
1960s, the silky smooth profile of these German GTs
looked almost futuristic in today’s tech-crazed city, regarded as
the cultural, commercial and financial center of northern
California. To witness this array of polished bodies gleaming in
the morning sun was an impressive sight, even for someone as
jet-lagged as me.
Later, as I unlocked the doors to a midnight-blue GT S, I
admired its emotional exterior profile. Its sensual purity centres
around a long, power-domed bonnet, frameless doors, taut
roofline and broad shoulders. As with the gullwinged SLS, the
GT’s glasshouse is set well back in the chassis layout, but its
overall proportions seem more compact and better balanced than
its predecessor. Thin, horizontal tail-lamp graphics and a
retractable rear spoiler help to offset the overt and purposeful
stance of the front end. Lifting the rear tailgate reveals a fairly
generous 350-litre boot, aided no doubt by the GT’s lack of rear
perches. As you sink down into the cosseting leather seats there’s
an abundant sense of luxury and craftsmanship from the delicate
aluminium controls to the raw beauty of the exposed carbonfibre
inlays. While the cockpit still cocoons the occupants, there’s a
greater sense of interior space compared with the SLS. That’s
mostly down to the wing-like dashboard that emphasises the car’s
width, as well as the lack of headroom-robbing gullwing doors.
The operating controls and infotainment elements cascade down
the leather-swathed centre console mimicking a V(8)-like form
while circular air vents and dials complement the natural beauty
of the fine leather stitching on the side panels and seating. With
the indices on the digital tachometer and speedometer changed
from kph to mph we departed on our designated route, but with
many of the satnav’s instructions not gelling with the displayed
road network, we chose to ignore the commands and made a
The Mercedes-AMG GT is only the second sports car to be developed entirely
in-house by the AMG engineers in Affalterbach. As a result, much has been
expected of the 911-rival since its recent global reveal in Paris. We head south
down the Pacific coastline from San Francisco to the curves and cambered
turns of the famous Laguna Seca circuit to see how the newcomer’s dual
persona avails itself both on and off the track. By Angus Thompson

2. C O V E R S T O R Y
Mercedes-AMG GT S
JANUARY 2015 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 6766 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JANUARY 2015
NEED TO KNOW
MERCEDES-AMG GT S
PRICENot yet
ENGINE3 982cc, 32v, twin-turbo
V8 375kW @ 6 250rpm,
650Nm @ 1 750-4 750rpm
TRANSMISSION Seven-speed
dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSIONDouble wishbone
front, multi-link rear
LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT
4 546/1 939/1 287mm
PERFORMANCE3.8sec
0-100kph , 310kph, 9.4ℓ/100km,
219g/km
WEIGHT /MADE FROM
1 570kg / aluminium, steel
ON SALEMid-2015
beeline for the Bay Area in search of Highway One.
Cruising down the city’s rippled streets the
effortless nature of the GT’s driving character in
Comfort mode (C) became apparent exemplified by
the seamless shifts of the seven-speed dual-clutch
transmission. After escaping the madness of the
inner city’s one-way streets and trams we joined the
flow of traffic past the Golden Gate bridge onto the
famous coastal road.
Highway patrol cars and speed cameras ensured
our pace was kept to the prescribed 35-55 mph
speed limit along this colourful stretch of coastline.
Cruising these roads, you quickly realise that this
part of the American West Coast is a paradise for
gas guys and car nuts alike. It also contains much of
the wealth emanating from the IT professionals
working in Silicon Valley. You still see a fair share of
RVs, pickup trucks and shapeless sedans trundling
down the streets, but there’s a cooler sense of
new-age high-tech car culture here, too: Fiskers,
BMW i8s, Prius hybrids, Chevy Volts and even
Smarts are commonplace. The AMG GT
characterises a different, but equally new-age
technology that identifies perfectly with the raw V8
power, performance and adrenalin endemic to the
hot rod and custom tuning car culture founded
along this Californian coastline.
From the coast we headed inland through the
tree-lined roads and forests of Santa Cruz and
Boulder Creek past the mega-rich towns of
Monterey and Carmel before arriving at the gateway
to the 3.6km Laguna Seca circuit. As a pleasant
surprise, F1 safety car driver and five-time DTM
champ Bernd Schneider was tasked with setting the
pace for us on the track. While the GT’s Dynamic
Select AMG transmission had seen us exploring
both the Comfort (C) and Sport (S) settings through
the coastal roads and tight forest lanes up till that
point, venturing out onto the track meant we would
be free to explore the limits of both the Sport Plus
(S+) and Race transmission modes. With each turn
of the rotary dial the dynamic character of the car
changed, optimally adjusting the gearshift patterns,
engine maps, traction control, damper settings and
responses of our GT S. While the SLS AMG paid
great homage to the original ‘gullwing’, it failed to
fully convince performance fans. If the GT was to
pose any real threat to the alluring nature of the
911, it would need to be as well-rounded on track as
off it. With a 47:53 (front:rear) weight distribution;
fast, reactive, flavourful steering, immense lateral
grip (both on turn-in and from mid corner to exit) the
GT is easily the best AMG yet. Far more nimble and
responsive than the SLS, every Dynamic mode
brings with it a heightened sense of occasion,
drama and attitude. It tests your nerve and inspires
your confidence to push its boundaries further,
corner after corner. Add to this 375kW and 650Nm
of torque under foot in the GT S (regular GT models
offer 340kW and 600 Nm from the same biturbo
V8), not to mention the 0-100kph time of just
3.8seconds and top speed of 310kph, and you
struggle to fathom that this is same cosseting
cruiser you experienced only hours earlier. This dual
persona is concealed purely by the Dynamic Select
system. Ranging from calm, comfortable and
luxurious one minute to focused and race car-like
the next, you simply dial in your preference. Even in
Race mode, the GT felt utterly predictable and only
slightly intimidating when the back end is coaxed
loose on the exit of turns.
I didn’t want the track session to end, the GT S
was just too addictive and the chequered flag felt as
if it was waved all too soon. This AMG was nothing
like the blunt, understeering hammers I’ve become
accustomed to. On that track (not mention through
the woods of Santa Cruz earlier) it was simply
brilliant. With so little to fault, I would go as far as to
call it the best Mercedes-Benz I have ever driven.
The next morning we turned the dial back to
Comfort mode and started the picturesque journey
back to San Francisco. I could only sit in awe of the
GT’s dual persona on our return, reflecting on how it
surprised and delighted me at every turn.
Regardless of how good the GT is in isolation, you
cannot avoid the elephant in the cockpit: It’s called
the Porsche 911. Does the AMG GT have enough all
round talent to challenge the most focused 911 ever
created in the GTS, which as it happened was being
launched at the Willow Springs circuit… barely a
week later.
How does it compare? Turn the page and find out. tc
With up to 300
days of sunshine a
year, smooth, flowing
interstates, winding
mountain stretches
and legendary race
circuits, ‘The Golden
State’ has everything
to make the heart of
a car enthusiast beat
faster. Evocative
names such as
Laguna Seca, Willow
Springs or Riverside
are weekend
highlights for most
in this region while
once a year, in mid-
August, Pebble
Beach plays
home to its world
famous Concours
d’Elegance
The flat-bottom, thick-
rimmed Alcantara leather
steering wheel is not only
a visual centrepiece but
also further reinforces the
GT’s sports car demeanour,
offering a connection
through its textural surface
and steering interface