More than eight
months after first being revealed at the 2018 LA Auto Show, the most hardcore
model of Merc’s refreshed AMG GT lineup has been launched in the United States.
While deliveries of the first units will not commence before the end of the
year, the automaker announced that the limited edition GT R Pro, which will be
made in just 750 units worldwide, will cost US$ 199,650 on this side of the pond,
excluding a US$ 995 destination and delivery charge, which brings the grand total
to a little over US$ 200k.
For the money,
customers get no extra power over the “regular” GT R – which means they’ll have
to make do with “only” 577 HP and 516 lb-ft of torque. This is far from just a
case of sticking a new badge, adding a pair of stickers and fancy colors and
some extra kit, though, as Affalterbach’s engineers have worked hard, drawing
inspiration from the GT3 and GT4 racers, to ensure it really is a more
driver-focused version of the (already superb) AMG GT.
The first thing
that catches the eye are the visual changes, among which we count the more
aggressive aero pack with big front air intakes and canards, a carbon splitter,
front wing air extractors, larger rear diffuser and a fixed wing, along with
lightweight forged alloy rims. These are complemented by a different carbon
roof with a lower center section, a carbon underbody, sportier coilover
suspension with adjustable rebound and and compression and carbon ceramic
brakes as standard.
All in all, these
translate to the GT R Pro being nearly six seconds faster around Nurburgring
than the normal version despite its twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 not pumping out
any extra power, and demonstrate what a difference a meticulously tuned chassis
makes around an extremely demanding circuit like the Nordschleife.
Moreover, there
are some changes inside as well, such as a sportier wheel and seats, along with
a host of updates shared with the rest of the revamped AMG GT range, such as a
12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch infotainment system with
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, touch display buttons at the center console and
a new touchpad for the multimedia interface.
