A Mercedes-AMG GT four-door development car has been
seen testing in Germany just two weeks after the concept was
revealed at the Geneva motor show. These early shots suggest its design will stay true to the striking show
concept.
The car’s LED headlights have been
retained, and its slim glass line also looks unchanged. At the back, heavy
cladding covers the tailgate’s lines but it’s likely that the same swooping lid
leads into thin taillights that resemble those of the GT coupé.
The concept was 5065 mm long, 2046 mm wide and 1405 mm
high, making it larger and lower than the Panamera – emphasising the car’s
aggressive design. The car’s drivetrain layout will be
more closely related to the E-Class than GT sports car, meaning it will locate
its gearbox up front rather than in rear-mounted transaxle position.
The four-seat GT will be offered with a
twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine, but it is not yet known if it
will be the dry-sump M178 unit of the GT or the wet-sump M177 used in the AMG E
63.
That car’s drivetrain was previewed in the concept
which mated an electric motor to AMG’s 4.0-litre V8 to produce 805 bhp and
enable a sub-3sec 0-62mph time. Mercedes Formula 1 battery technology was used
to warrant recharging through brake energy recuperation and input from the
combustion engine.
Mercedes may not name its four-door GT model the GT
4, because it already produces a GT4 racing car that’s based on the GT road
car. However, GT could be used in some way to distance the model from the
four-door CLE, which will replace the CLS, to emphasise the car’s powerful
performance.