Mercedes-AMG is getting its butt kicked in this year’s F1 Championship by McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari, and the German firm wants to celebrate that failure with a special “Motorsport Collectors Edition” of the AMG GT coupe. Based around the 63 Pro 4 Matic+, a track-ready, but road-legal variant of the GT sports car introduced earlier this year, the new special edition is limited to 200 units. Each car wears a livery inspired by the one worn by AMG’s Petronas-sponsored F1 cars during this season, and also in 2023, when the team fared slightly better, coming second to (but still getting walloped by) Red Bull.
Speccing a GT in Obsidian Black metallic
paint would normally make for a very stealthy ride, particularly when you throw
in the usually-optional AMG Nite Package that swaps chrome for blacked-out
brightwork. But this one features hand-painted stars across its tail and bright
stripes in Petronas’ corporate aquamarine color.
The almost neon detailing picks out the
side window graphics, the sills, the 21-inch wheel rims, and the front bumper
air intakes, and is also used on the carbon brake system’s huge calipers. There
are more aqua highlights inside, where the illuminated door sills, ambient
lighting, and sports seats finished in a mix of Nappa leather and microfiber
cloth all feature the signature Petronas hue. F1 fans will get the connection
but everyone else will be trying to work out whether you’re obsessed with 1980s
sci-fi classic Tron, or still can’t move on from your Fast and Furious
modifying days.
The F1 makeover doesn’t extend to the
powertrain, whose focal point is the same 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8 engine used in
other GTs. But because it’s based on the GT Pro, the Collectors Edition makes
603 hp, rather than the 576 hp the regular GT 63 4Matic+ puts
out. AMG quotes zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and a 317
km/h top end for the stock Pro, whose rear wing and front aero devices the
special carries over.
AMG hasn’t revealed prices for the 200
cars, or whether any have been pre-sold, but we expect them to cost at least
£ 180k/US$ 200k.
