For a long time, the Porsche 911 has had things all to itself.
Oh sure, there are plenty of other sports cars on the market, but while Ferrari has to fight off Lamborghini at the high end, Porsche doesn’t really have a direct competitor to their iconic 911.
Or at least they didn’t, not until now.
The AMG GT, while not a 2+2, is Mercedes’ answer to Porsche’s 50-year success story. It costs about the same, has a similar turn of speed, and certainly has the prestige. Apply a bit of marketing magic to claim a spiritual connection to the 300SL “Gullwing” of the 1950s, and AMG’s flagship can even match the 911 for heritage.
However, there are a lot of different flavours of 911, and the most popular ones take their tops off. If Mercedes wants to tempt buyers away from the obvious choice, they’re going to need to up their game.
Enter this, the alphabetically named Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster. Like the 911, it’s really fast. Like the 911 convertible, the roof goes down. They’re even both made in Stuttgart.
There is, however, a difference. Opening the top on a 911 turns a competent sports car into an even better companion on sunny days. In the AMG’s case, things get a little more intense. Let’s take a closer look.
Design
Like all modern machines, the AMG GT can’t quite pull off pretty. Delicacy is a forgotten art in Germany.
If relatively brutal, however, this is a pretty good-looking machine. Classic elements like a long hood and a short rear deck are capped off by hugely wide rear wheels and a bit of side venting.
Where Porsche is trapped into trying to evoke the shape of their rear-engined origins, Mercedes has no such restriction. Thus, they’ve built something that is at-once modern and classically old school. It looks fantastic, especially if you get a bit daring with your colour choices.
Compared to the standard AMG GT, the GT C gets a number of enhancements. The rear flanks are even wider than the standard car, giving the GT C an even more menacing crouch. This is the only roadster Mercedes will be bringing to the Canadian market – at least for the foreseeable future.
Environment
While the sheer acreage of that long front nose seems to not bode well for cabin space, the AMG GT is actually relatively roomy. If you’re looking to carry more than just one passenger, I’m afraid AMG fans will have to stick to one of Mercedes’ other models. However, taller drivers need not steer clear as the GT C has just enough space to spread out.
If you’re not already an efficient packer, you’re going to have to up your suitcase skills. Cargo room is at a premium here, with a smallish trunk that’s just slightly larger than that of a Jaguar F-Type.
Odds are, you won’t care. The GT C’s cockpit is a well-finished affair, with a central tunnel filled with various performance-tweaking buttons, and plenty of carbon fibre. There’s a misstep or two – the tacked-on look of the central infotainment screen, the odd shifter placement – but the GT C is a much nicer environment than the spartan look of most of Porsche’s products.
Settle into the highly bolstered seats, turn on the neck-height vents to keep you warm, and gaze out over that long hood. Time to unleash the GT C’s potential.
Performance
When Mercedes decided to do away with their big-hearted 6.2-litre V-8, many people (myself among them) cried big-displacement tears of sadness. One of the last great German naturally aspirated engines, it combined tremendous power with a thrilling exhaust note.
Happily, AMG’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo replacement is just as good. Actually, if anything, it’s better. A pair of turbochargers nestled in-between the cylinder heads provide substantial boost (just about 1.5 BAR), giving the GT C a total of 557 horsepower at 6,000 r.p.m. and 501 foot-pounds of torque from 1,900 r.p.m.
It’s the torque that makes the difference, a huge amount of shove that turns the GT C from boulevard cruiser to cruise missile. Paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, AMG’s roadster is a rocket any time there’s a short passing gap. It also continues to sound ferocious, like a Tyrannosaurus gargling nails.
However, if you’ve been an AMG fan for a chunk of the company’s 50-year history, little of this gasoline-fuelled Sturm und Drang is really surprising. AMG has always been about building road rockets, stuff that’s amazing in a straight line and sideways any time you try to go around a corner.
The contrast with the GT C is that it takes to a series of curves with glee. That’s not just one corner by the way: any engineer can get a car to corner well by putting huge, sticky tires on it, and stiffening up the suspension.
The GT C is no high-g one-trick pony. Thanks in part to a clever rear-steering system that seems to shrink the car around the driver, it can be caned through a canyon as if it was some kind of hilariously overpowered Miata. Grip is simply immense, but the capabilities are matched to the charisma of that snorting V-8, and the view of the big nose out the front.
Pick out figures like acceleration times, maximum cornering loads, and speed point-to-point, and the GT C’s digital footprint might look a lot like that of a 911 GTS cabriolet. However, they’re totally different cars to drive, with the GT C being a sort of hairy chested German Corvette mixed with a dash of speedboat.
And, because the roof comes down in just about 11 seconds, you get to bathe in the experience, even when you slow your roll. It’s just a phenomenal machine.
Features
Final pricing is still to be determined on the GT C, but you can expect the car to cost at least $150,000 to start. Ouch – but worth it.
Fuel economy? As they say, if you have to ask. ... Things are actually pretty good in light-footed cruising, with official mixed-mileage of 11.4 litres/100 kilometres.
Green light
Huge power; stunning design; charismatic sound.
Stop sign
As pricey as a Porsche; some wonky interior ergonomics; poor rear visibility with top up.
The checkered flag
Takes the fight to the 911 and brings a sledgehammer along.
Porsche 911 GTS Cabriolet ($150,000)
Picking just one car out of the huge number of 911 models can be difficult, but the mid-range GTS is probably your enthusiast best bet. Not as fast as the Turbo, but still as quick as you’d like on a racetrack, the 911 GTS is an absolute scream.
Things get even better when you take the roof off, albeit with a slight reduction in performance. You won’t really notice the difference between coupe and convertible chassis rigidity on the road.
The 911 is more of a scalpel compared to the GT C’s carving knife, but the two are very evenly matched in speed. The 911’s two small back seats may be the deciding factor for those who have to occasionally carry a new generation of fans along.
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