Currently reading: 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT roadster - new spy shots

Rival for the Porsche 911 Carrera S cabriolet will make its debut later this year; hotter GT C version is expected in 2017

The hotly anticipated Mercedes-AMG GT roadster has been spotted testing again ahead of its official launch.

The soft-top model will be largely unchanged from its coupé equivalent, with just a folding roof and strengthened lower bodyshell being expected major changes.

Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster and GT C Roadster revealed

Also, because of the more rakish angle of the roadster's fabric-roof rear window, the tail features a longer flat section than the coupé.

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The model’s suspension settings could be tweaked to deal with the soft-top’s inevitable weight gain, too, which is expected to push its kerb weight closer to 1700kg.

Under its bonnet, the roadster will use the same 4.0-litre ‘hot vee’ twin-turbocharged V8 engine as the regular GT, producing 456bhp in the standard car and 503bhp in the more expensive S model.

The roadster will therefore be slightly slower from 0-62mph than the coupé, which can hit the mark as quickly as 3.8sec. A key rival for the AMG GT roadster, the Porsche 911 Carrera S cabriolet, can manage the sprint in 4.7sec.

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Autocar reported that the AMG GT R – the current hottest road legal version of the GT – will also spawn its own convertible model, the GT C roadster. That car is expected to arrive next spring, and will make use of the GT R’s uprated powertrain that’s good for 577bhp.

Sources say the regular GT roadster will be revealed later this year, before arriving on roads in 2017. Pricing is a long way from being confirmed, but expect a noticeable increase on the coupé’s £97,210 base price.

Looking further into the future, it is not yet known if the future range-topping model, the GT Black Series, will be launched as a drop-top, although sources so far think that this is unlikely. The Black Series will arrive at the end of the GT’s life cycle and could produce more than 600bhp.

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