Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

overrun will raise the hairs on the back of
your neck, the AMG twin-huffer V-8
doesn’t have quite the tunnel-filling character
of a Hellcat or the Shelby GT350’s
Voodoo V-8. Maybe that’s why the engine
only gets an alphanumeric code (M178)
and not the sort of name that shows up
as a tattoo.
Weight gain from the top’s removal is
minimal, just an extra 75 or so pounds on
the C and around 120 for the GT. There’s
additional bracing in the cowl and behind
the seats, and the rockers are sturdier in
the topless cars. The net effect is a twoseater
that feels like a convertible only
when your nose starts to assume the texture
of a pork cracklin’.
That aft-of-the-axle positioning of the engine enables stupefying
handling. In the cons column, engine placement takes the blame
for the snug interior, an impression greatly alleviated by the absence
of the roof. Nonetheless, this is some gloriously ineffcient packaging.
Despite a vastly more compact appearance, the GT is only 3.7
inches shorter than its lengthy predecessor, the SLS. But thanks to
its rear-steering system, the GT C is daringly agile. The system
steers the rear wheels up to 1.5 degrees in phase with the front
wheels above 62 mph. Below that, rear steering is out of phase with
the front wheels, enabling quicker turning.
Above: This C is wider.
Below: There is no
engine under that
AMG-branded engine
cover. The engine sits
rearward of the cover
and the front axle.
A lighter lithium-ion battery and a magnesium
radiator support shift the C’s weight
distribution rearward. The positioning of
the occupants so far aft amplifies the sensation
of rotation, though both cars have
heaps of grip and always feel controlled,
even when the yaw rate sounds a klaxon in
your brain stem. The stoppers are firm, progressive,
and tireless. And while the GT C
offers additional levels of damper firmness,
with a top setting that is quite stiff, no setting
is ever harsh. It is both a thrilling sports
car and a comfortable tourer.
What the GT and GT C roadsters aren’t,
though, is much differentiated. In the
Porsche 911 lineup, a $30,000 spread will
net two distinct experiences. Here there’s
one flavor, just intensified from the
$125,395 base car to the $157,995 C. But it’s
a potent thing, a very effective way to go
fast. And the top goes down. Don’t kids still
sleep in bedrooms with walls? These cars
belong on posters on those walls.
2018 MERCEDES-AMG
GT/GT C ROADSTER
VEHICLE TYPE: frontengine,
rear-wheel-drive,
2-passenger, 2-door
convertible
BASE PRICE:
$125,395–$157,995
ENGINE TYPE: twinturbocharged
and
intercooled DOHC
32-valve V-8, aluminum
block and heads, direct
fuel injection
DISPLACEMENT:
243 cu in, 3982 cc
POWER:
469 hp @ 6000 rpm or
550 hp @ 6750 rpm
TORQUE:
465 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm or
502 lb-ft @ 1900 rpm
TRANSMISSION:
7-speed dual-clutch
automatic with manual
shifting mode
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE: 103.5 in
LENGTH: 178.9–179.2 in
WIDTH: 76.3–79.0 in
HEIGHT: 49.6 in
TRUNK VOLUME: 10 cu ft
CURB WEIGHT:
3800–3900 lb
PERFORMANCE
(C/D EST)
ZERO TO 60 MPH:
3.0–3.2 sec
ZERO TO 100 MPH:
6.9–7.1 sec
1/4-MILE: 11.2–11.5 sec
TOP SPEED:
188–196 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
EPA COMBINED/CITY/
HWY: 18/15–16/22 mpg
(C/D est)
099