Mercedes 520bhp GT spotted 09 | 04 | 2014
MERCEDES-BENZ IS TARGETING the Porsche 911 with its all-new GT AMG, the firm's new 500bhp-plus V8-powered sports car. Scheduled to make its debut at the Paris Motor show this autumn, the rear-wheel-drive coupé will enter Scottish showrooms next April.
The new GT — which has been spotted testing in Barcelona, and will indirectly replace the SLS at the very top of the Mercedes-Benz line-up — is expected to cost around £100,000, putting it head-to-head with the likes of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911 Carrera S. Significantly, £70,000 less than the outgoing SLS.
Production cycles of the two cars dovetail nicely. As the five-year limited build of the SLS ends next month, the GT will be built for six years, ending in 2020.
The GT will be the first Mercedes to be powered by AMG’s new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine.
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The new Mercedes will immediately out-muscle both the Aston and Porsche, certainly in terms of bhp. While the Aston and Porsche boast 420 and 395bhp respectively, the Mercedes GT will deliver close to 520bhp. It's also understood a 'milder' version will be built by Mercedes in 2016, with a reduced output of around 480bhp.
At the core of the two-seat GT — which will be manufactured by Magna in Graz, Austria, and is expected to weight around 1480kg, 140kg lighter than the SLS — is a reworked version of the SLS’s aluminium body structure.
The looks of the GT mirror, in many ways, the styling cues of the SLS, with a long, probing nose dominating its profile. The cabin, again similar to the SLS, is set well back within the wheelbase and a stubby rear.
Significantly, unlike the SLS, the GT will have more conventional front-hinged doors, rather than the heavy gullwing doors of its more expensive sibling. The GT will also boast a hatchback-style tailgate, a step which is aimed at making the car more practical.
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Jim McGill