Published:
19 May 2017We could go on for many times the normal length of this section explaining exactly how Mercedes-AMG has tweaked and transformed the ‘ordinary’ Mercedes-AMG GT super-sports car to turn it into the GT R.
Its efforts vary from the predictable to the ground-breaking and include some deliciously purposeful modifications to the car’s engine, transmission, chassis and suspension.
The headline news is that the GT R is 15kg lighter than the standard GT S (although that is an advantage you can double if you select AMG’s carbon-ceramic brake option), yet it has a wider body than the GT S and also a reinforced chassis that is significantly more rigid.
The R also benefits from key technologies, many of which have never been seen on any AMG before, that each increase grip, performance and handling dynamism.
Carbonfibre wings extend the car’s width by 46mm at the front, while matching sheet metal extensions add 57mm over the rear wheels – both in order to cover significantly wider axle tracks.
Carbonfibre is also used for the roof panel, in various places under the body and bonnet to brace the superstructure and also for the car’s ‘torque tube’ propshaft.
Suspension is via adjustable coilovers and adaptive dampers. A thicker anti-roll bar than the standard GT gets features at the rear, where ‘uniball’ mountings are also adopted in place of normal bushings for enhanced handling precision and control feedback. Forged aluminium is used for the car’s wishbones, hub carriers and steering knuckles, all to reduce unsprung mass.
