The most successful yet of the official intertwining of Mercedes-Benz and in-house tuning outfit AMG, the GT, has now spawned a drop top version that will be called the Roadster. No surprises there.
In fact, rumours of a convertible GT had been ongoing since the coupe’s 2014 release, but only now has finally come to fruition as Mercedes-AMG recently revealed the most speed-focused version of the German sports machine, the GT R.
Just like the original coupe’s dual tiers, the convertible will start with the GT Roadster and end with the faster, better specified and equipped GT C Roadster. Thus mirroring the GT and GT S, and will likely cost around $17k above the corresponding coupe variant.
The initial batch of pictures does show the new roofless cars in good detail, but prices do remain a relative mystery as far as specifics go. Deliveries, however, are expected to initially start toward the end of Q1 2017.
Interestingly, Mercedes-AMG has taken a few styling cues from the track-munching GT R which was revealed recently in June such as the updated grille inspired by the 300 SL Panamericana as well as the active aerodynamic elements that also debuted there.
There’s also a more pronounced front splitter, larger air intakes, and on the GT C Roadster a wider rear bumper with air exit vents situated above a larger rear diffuser. This is due to the fact it wears larger 20-inch wheels shod in wider rubber, requiring it to adopt the GT R’s more aggressive rear end to accommodate it.
The roof mechanism electrically operated but makes use of a fabric top as opposed to the folding metal origami we often see on other Mercedes-Benz products. While less technically impressive, the old school retractable cover does save weight and takes up far less space over its less flexible counterpart.
The open top versions of the Mercedes-AMG GT are heavier, make no mistake, but luckily the shared 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine has been tuned up to compensate, generating 350kW/629 and 410kW/679Nm respectively.
Power is transmitted, as before, to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle transmission but in the roadsters have received some revised ratios in the form of a taller first gear and a shorter final gear. Those alterations pertain to the different personalities the coupe and convertible are meant to exhibit. Either way, the performance isn’t question.
Despite the 65kg average difference in weight between the hard top and soft top versions of the Mercedes-AMG GT, the roofless cars are able to dispatch the 100km/h sprint in 4.0-seconds for the GT Roadster and 3.7-seconds for the GT C Roadster.
We’ll have a full rundown of specifications when both cars get their full premiere at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
For more on Mercedes-AMG vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
