Before Mercedes-AMG uncovered the menacing
GT 4-Door, they previewed it with a concept car that rocked a beastly
electrified powertrain. The GT show car had in excess of 800 horsepower but the
performance division based in Affalterbach chose to launch the production model
without any electrification. Not that most customers mind that, as in top ‘S’
spec the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 639 PS and 900 Nm of torque.
A new model is about to break cover, though,
and it will take on the role as the range-topper of the series thanks to
electric assistance. Allegedly named the AMG GT 73, it was spotted testing in
northern Europe’s freezing-cold conditions with both fascias covered in
camouflage and plug-in hybrid stickers. If the powertrain stays true to the
study, the production variant should pack more than 800 PS from the joined forces of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and an electric motor.
As a result, the 0-100 km/h time will likely drop under 3 seconds, seeing as the 63 S can cover the same
sprint in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 315 km/h. We don’t
have any details about the battery feeding the electric motor, but it should be
able to give the car an all-electric range of a several tens of kilometers when
fully charged. That’s only if you go easy on the throttle, though, as it’s
bound to quickly run out of juice under heavy acceleration.
The GT 73 is expected with a few mild
exterior revisions and perhaps dedicated menus in the infotainment system when
it breaks cover, likely before the end of the year. Pricing will obviously
exceed the 63 S’ starting MSRP of US$ 160,000+ in the U.S. and €167,017 (US$ 180,342)
in Germany.
