A preview of the Mercedes-AMG GT with the company’s designers

“This shoulder theme is a very significant one for all Mercedes. If you look at all of our coupés – from the S-class coupé to the Mercedes-Benz CLA and even the Mercedes-Benz B-Class – they have a shoulder, albeit in some cases a tiny one.”

He describes the front styling as “typical AMG, with the radiators left and right, huge openings for cooling and then the ‘A-wing’ signature, which has already been seen on the latest E-class AMG. We are giving AMG a specific face as a sub-brand in the future, so you will see different executions of this.

“The headlight design is aggressive and the front is designed so that when you sit in the drivers’ seat, you can see the bonnet and the left and right wings.”

Read Autocar's review of the SLS AMG GT Final Edition

Autocar also had the chance to sit in a near-complete design of the Mercedes-AMG GT’s cabin, as interior designer Jan Kaul explained the highlights. 

“The cockpit feeling is inspired by aviation and jet themes,” he said. “There’s a really high tunnel console which rises sharply to meet the dashboard. 

“One of the highlights of the interior is the metal plate which integrates all the driving performance functions. They are in a high position, ergonomically in the perfect position, close to the driver’s body.

"The inspiration for these four cylindrical elements on each side of the centre tunnel comes from the V8 engine. It is such a wide and high tunnel console. It expresses the power that the car has and the driving performance. 

“Another interesting feature is that we tried to reduce the number of functions on the centre console, just focusing on the driver performance. So it was necessary to take some of the buttons that are necessary for the user interface and put them in the roof. This really accentuates the cockpit feeling, because aeroplane pilots have buttons above them.

“In a lot of areas in the cabin, we played around with contrast. One example is the colour trim contrast between black and white, but there is also the contrast between gloss and matt finishes. For example, on the centre console we have a PVD (physical vapour deposition) coated black diamond insert and it’s a very nice contrast to the matt carbonfibre. 

“Other aviation themes are the centre console control panel, which is shaped like an NACA air duct from an aeroplane, and the four air vents in the centre of the dashboard, which interpret jet engines and are a signature on our top-of-the-line models."

The cabin feels comfortably snug without occupant head, leg or shoulder room being an issue.

“It doesn’t feel small inside,” affirms Kaul. “The dimensions were not really a negative aspect in the design process. We had almost complete design freedom over this car. It’s a pure two-seater and is designed to feel like a tight suit that is tailored to you.”

AMG boss Tobias Moers had an active role in shaping the interior, requesting the repositioning of the infotainment screen, which on early test mules was placed higher on the dashboard.

Moers felt that the positioning wasn’t suitable for a driver’s car, and ordered it to be lowered, a complex task that required the design team to rework the air duct venting within the dashboard.

Design chief Wagener is a believer in ‘reduction’ – removing unnecessary complexity from car designs – but adds that Mercedes is unlikely to follow the lead of Tesla by installing minimalist touch screens in its cars.

“Even though I’m a lover of touch pads on some devices, I don’t think a touchpad is appropriate in a car,” he says. “We go a different way than Tesla because we want to move screens and functions higher up, where you actually look on the street. 

“In the Tesla the screen is very low, and you are unable to put touch pads in positions where they are in your first field of visibility. This is why we are true believers in separating screen and the touch pad element – it is easier to operate.”

Wagener can barely contain his enthusiasm for the car: “To me it is one of the most beautiful cars we have ever created. It embodies all of the modern luxury on one hand, but on the other hand it is very pure and high-tech looking.