It's not hard to deduce where AMG is going with this – or rather, where it's coming from. We're in Germany to drive not just one new version of the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car, but to meet the whole family. And "family" isn't my word, it's theirs: "Press Test Drive, Mercedes-AMG GT Family" it says on the agenda.
It seems they're out to make a point. Family, of course, is the starting point for dynasty. And if you play word association with "dynasty" in the context of sports cars, what comes to mind first? Porsche 911, of course.
Sure, the Mercedes-AMG GT's lineage only dates back three years, about 50 years fewer than the Porsche 911's. But with a model roster now up to eight (including GT3 and GT4 customer racers), the challenger from Affalterbach is starting to emulate the sheer variety coming out of rival Zuffenhausen, just 30 minutes down the road, where Porsche mixes and matches almost two-dozen variations on the 911 theme.
Some members of the Mercedes-AMG GT ‘family.’
Dieter Rebmann/Daimler AG
All AMG GTs are rear-wheel drive, come only with a 7-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox, and offer a choice of coupe or roadster coachwork. It's under the hood that the choices are proliferating: the GT's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 is now offered in four different strengths (not even including the race cars).
The GT, GT-S, GT-C and GT-R respectively generate 469, 515, 550 and 577 horsepower. All are available in Coupe clothing while the GT and the GT-C can also go topless as Roadsters. Working up through the engine choices brings progressively muscular chassis tuning, brakes and wheel/tire sizes, with active four-wheel steering a notable and worthwhile addition on the GT Cs and the GT R.
The GT R. The GT can go from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 to 4.0 seconds.
Andreas Lindlahr/Daimler AG
Claimed maximum speeds range from 304 to 318 km/h, 0-100-km/h times from 4.0 seconds to 3.6.
For all its ultramodern engineering, this is a very traditional sports car: front-engined and rear-wheel drive, low and wide, with a floor plan that pushes the cabin far rearward. It looks old-fashioned, but in a good way – a classic timeless look that should endure.
There are no plans to stretch the V-8 beyond 4.0 litres, engine program manager Bertram Tschamon says, so any future upgrades will likely involve even more turbo boost. Maybe there's no need. The 0-100-km/h times are awesome enough as is – and yet still they likely understate how ferociously these things accelerate once the rear tires hook up (even a 53-per-cent rearward weight distribution can't ensure full deployment at launch of up to 577 horsepower).
The GT Roadster.
Dieter Rebmann/Daimler AG
The ferocity isn't just in the rate of acceleration, but in the tumult of the industrial-strength bellow from under the hood. Even driving gently in the mildest model and in the tamest of the multiple driving modes, the crackle and spit from the tailpipes is ever-present. You know that "iron fist in a velvet glove" metaphor? This is that without the glove.
Yet for all their powertrain sturm und drang, the AMG GTs are not intimidating. They're automatics, of course, with shift smoothness and speed that vary appropriately as you progress from C mode through S and S+ to RACE. The steering is never hefty (if anything, it's too light for my tastes) or overeager. And on German roads, the ride quality is remarkably civil.
While some of their traits are different, the essence is consistent across the GT models.
Dieter Rebmann/Daimler AG
The latter may not be true of the GT R, which we only drove on the track. There, the race-focused top dog felt insanely potent yet utterly trustworthy as we breathlessly tried to keep up with DTM race ace Bernd Schneider around 4.3 kilometres of blind crests and curves. With almost 600 hp channelled through the rear wheels, and on a new-to-us circuit, the confidence inspired by the car bordered on miraculous.
If "family" includes similar personalities and behaviour, then a family is what AMG has here. The family traits intensify with each step up the birth order, but the essence of the cars is consistent.
Power with trust: not a bad basis for a future dynasty.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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