The Mercedes-AMG GT is a series of grand tourers introduced by the Mercedes-Benz performance subsidiary in late 2014. Now in its second generation, the successor of the Mercedes SLS AMG has time and again proven its worth. Or has it?
The German automaker launched the second iteration of the GT during the scorching summer of 2023 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in America. It uses the same platform as the all-new Mercedes-AMG SL Class (R232) and will probably never expand beyond the coupe body style anymore. Also, it's still early to say if it will have as many variants as its predecessor, and currently, there are only the GT 55 and 63 models on sale with the ubiquitous M177 4.0-liter V8 under the hood and 476 or 577 horsepower on tap.
Well, that's a far cry from the original, which had GT, S, R, R Pro, Roadster, C Roadster, Black Series, and Track Series models – which are the ones for 'civilian' use. There were also the GT2, GT2 Pro, GT3, GT3 Evo, or GT4 on the track. As such, it is no wonder that a lot of AMG GTs are still out and about trying to prove their sports car worth. Sometimes, they also attempt to win the honors at American-style quarter-mile drag events.
For example, the good folks over at the Drag Car 4K channel on YouTube are always eager to show us that traditional yet quirky quarter-mile drag racing is also deeply beloved on the Old Continent, and just recently, their latest video feature is focused on a feisty Mercedes-AMG GT R packing 577 hp, 516 lb-ft/700 Nm, a sprint time of 3.6s to 62 mph/100 kph, and a 198 mph/319 kph top speed.
Traditionally, one would expect something of equal value in the other lane, right? Well, we should always expect the unexpected, and this time around, this European drag event also included a diesel-powered Mk3 Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI! The green hatchback dared to compare with the AMG GT as the driver was pretty confident it could replicate the sports car's performance. Well, if you don't mind the cloud of smoke that left us wondering who won the race, the Golf TDI had a pretty great start off the spot.
It quickly took command of the race, but we heard the AMG GT roaring and knew it didn't give up. In the end, the electronic scoreboard was the one that settled the dispute – the Christmas tree showed the Golf was first because of its quicker reaction time, even though the ETs (11.94s for Golf, 11.85 for GT) told us something else. Also, note that this race was done on an unprepped surface, so an old Golf dipping below the 12-second mark is quite an achievement, indeed!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News