It's pretty clear that Mercedes is going after another Nurburgring lap record with the GT R, even though they can sell each and every one without it.
Recent reports have been suggesting that Mercedes will cap production at 2,000 units. So if you've already ordered one, any potential Nurburgring lap record could increase its value.
After Goodwood Hill, the Green Hell is an altogether more difficult challenge for the super sportscar from AMG. However, this black rocket seems up to the job, being the fastest thing we've seen all week.
Yesterday, the car was filmed going flat-out on the famous German test track. In most of the shots, there is no traffic (rented track?). That and the roll cage installed inside leads us to believe that this is official Mercedes business, not a customer getting his kicks.
The GT R was made for this kind of stuff. Simply put, it's a street-legal race car. Like the Porsche 911 Turbo, it features an active aerodynamic front air dam. It's made from carbon fiber and when deployed generates the venturi effect that reduces lift by 50% at top speed.
Those enlarged front air intakes optimize wheel arch air flow and cooling for the brakes. The carbon fiber rear wing is fully adjustable, and we can see that it has been set to maximum downforce for the Nurburgring.
Rated at 585 horsepower, the new Affalterbach monster resets the benchmark for this segment. Mercedes also invested in track-oriented electronics.
Even though it's got a roll cage, the cabin of the Mercedes-AMG GT R is nowhere near as stripped out as a race car. In fact, it's about as lavishly kitted out as most Italian exotics, with carbon fiber trim all over and Alcantara everywhere. Heck, it even has parking sensors and navigation if you want to be all civilized about things.
After Goodwood Hill, the Green Hell is an altogether more difficult challenge for the super sportscar from AMG. However, this black rocket seems up to the job, being the fastest thing we've seen all week.
Yesterday, the car was filmed going flat-out on the famous German test track. In most of the shots, there is no traffic (rented track?). That and the roll cage installed inside leads us to believe that this is official Mercedes business, not a customer getting his kicks.
The GT R was made for this kind of stuff. Simply put, it's a street-legal race car. Like the Porsche 911 Turbo, it features an active aerodynamic front air dam. It's made from carbon fiber and when deployed generates the venturi effect that reduces lift by 50% at top speed.
Those enlarged front air intakes optimize wheel arch air flow and cooling for the brakes. The carbon fiber rear wing is fully adjustable, and we can see that it has been set to maximum downforce for the Nurburgring.
Rated at 585 horsepower, the new Affalterbach monster resets the benchmark for this segment. Mercedes also invested in track-oriented electronics.
Even though it's got a roll cage, the cabin of the Mercedes-AMG GT R is nowhere near as stripped out as a race car. In fact, it's about as lavishly kitted out as most Italian exotics, with carbon fiber trim all over and Alcantara everywhere. Heck, it even has parking sensors and navigation if you want to be all civilized about things.