Second-Gen Mercedes-AMG GT To Be Revealed, What Is Taking Them So Long?

It was September 9, 2014, when the Mercedes-AMG GT broke cover. It was sporty, it was classy, it was Solarbeam Yellow. Just five months before, Mercedes had previewed the coupe with a concept car. The real deal made its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, in times when motor shows were all the craze. Not anymore. It entered production in 2015.

The model came to replace the oh-so-spectacular Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, with its 6.3-liter V12 and gullwing doors. But it was the era of downsizing, and Mercedes decided to perform a heart transplant on the sports car: a biturbo 4.0-liter V8 instead of that insane V12.

The Mercedes-AMG GT – a true sports car from the very beginning

The replacement of the SLS in the AMG lineup, not a successor to it in its own right, was only the second car developed entirely by the Affalterbach-based brand. And it was every inch a sports car despite the downsizing and despite being tamed. The SLS was powered by a 6.3-liter V12 that developed 563 horsepower and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm). But it just came from a different era. An era in which there was no replacement for displacement, and emission regulations were some unheard of concept.

To begin with, the model came in standard form as well as in an S version. The entry-level variant – if anything could be called 'entry-level' about that car – came with 456 horsepower (462 PS) and 443 lb-ft (601 Nm) of torque.

In the S version, the same 4.0-liter V8 rolled out 503 horsepower (510 PS) and 480 lb-ft (651 Nm) of torque. This one came with some upgrades to justify the price gap (around $30,000). An electronically controlled limited-slip differential, a Race Mode, the AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension, an AMG Performance Exhaust System with dynamic flaps, 19-inch wheels at the front and 20-inch wheels at the rear.

Mercedes-AMG started playing with the GT tag. They came up with the GT C, rated at 550 horsepower (557 PS) and 502 lb-ft (681 Nm).

Then, in 2017, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes-AMG introduced the GT R as the most potent GT to date: 577 horsepower (585 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) for a run from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 3.6 seconds. It was the Formula One Safety Car until the Black Series version cut in.

One year later, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Mercedes took the curtain off the GT R Pro, a track-focused version with the same figures as those of the GT R, yet with a staggering MSRP of $200,645.

2021 brought the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, but there was no motor show for it this time, such events being replaced by YouTube live-streaming. The Black Series sported 720 horsepower (730 PS) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm).

But the most powerful Mercedes-AMG GT was yet to come. And it came in the shape of the plug-in hybrid 4-Door Coupe, AMG's first electrified model, called the 63 S E Performance. The system delivered 831 horsepower (843 PS) and 1,033 lb-ft (1,400 Nm).

After nine years on the market, it is time for the first-generation AMG GT to retire. The second one is finally inching closer to debut and is ready to live its electrified years of glory. Mercedes-AMG is going to show the new GT to the world for the very first time at the 72nd Concours d’Elegance.

The performance carmaker claims that the model will come with a modified dimensional concept compared to its predecessor, yet remaining true to its dynamic virtues. Furthermore, Mercedes is ditching the roadster version, because there is the convertible SL, entirely developed by Mercedes-AMG, to fill that void.

There will be no electrified version in the lineup from the beginning, but AMG's new CEO, Michael Scheme, says they will arrive at a later date.

What else is Mercedes bringing to Pebble Beach?

Mercedes will bring some iconic cars to Pebble Beach next moth. An iconic 1932 Maybach DS 7 Cabriolet will be on display in the company of the modern EQS SUV. The G-Class, which is getting ready to receive an all-electric version in the shape of the EQG, is also going to be there.

The premium carmaker is also bringing the Vision One-Eleven, the concept car inspired by the C 111 project of the 1970s. The extravagant Project Mondo G, with the styling inspired by the Moncler puffer jacket, will be at Pebble Beach next month as well.