Could This Be the Track-Tuned 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT R?

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Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

 

                               

                        

When the all-new 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S made landfall last year, critics were quick to note its major differences to the Mercedes SLS it effectively replaced, namely its blistering performance at a price that’s nearly $100,000 less than the SLS. 

Now however we’re getting a glimpse of a car that could gobble up that price gap extensively, all the while cranking power and on-track performance into the stratosphere. This could be the 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT R.

In the short video below, captured by YouTuber cvdzijden, a camouflaged Mercedes-AMG GT prototype is recorded testing on track at Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit.

 Judging by the reworked front fascia, the massive fixed wing on the rear, and what looks like center-exit exhaust, this would appear to be more than your garden variety GT. Take a look.

The camouflaged prototype not only sounds imposing but it rounds these few ribbonlike bends with absolute poise and a tremendous speed, lending credence to its believed “GT R” status. While such a car has yet to be officially revealed, if this is even it, AMG boss Tobias Moers did recently confirm the GT R’s existence to Top Gear.

“The new GT R will set a new benchmark in terms of driving dynamics,” Moers told Top Gear. “It will be faster on a racetrack than even the SLS Black Series.”

Them’s fighting words. He went on to note how “unstressed” the current GT’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine is, which summons 503 horsepower and 479 lb.-ft. of torque in “S” configuration. One can expect the aforementioned GT R to add a bit of stress to that block in search of higher power and better track performance.

Best of all, the Mercedes-AMG GT R won’t be the only high powered variant on the way. Moers also hinted to a new Black Series version on the horizon, but admitted it was still “too early to talk about that.”