It give us pause to think that the Mercedes-AMG GT is already nearing the hallway point of its expected life cycle, but we’re reminded that the ‘facelift’ is soon to be revealed. Speaking of which, a complete undisguised unit was seen tearing around the Nurburgring, hinting it’s launch is in such close proximity that Benz just doesn’t care who sees it.
Or, could it be that the updated version of the flagship AMG two-seater sports car doesn’t look that much different than it did when first launched mean that they figured nobody would be any the wise? Honestly, it’s a toss up between the two possibilities, and the question is academic in light of the fact that it was seen and, yes, it looks awfully similar.
There’s some visible changes to the front bumper, though this is as far as the eyeballing of this video is able to reveal. But that hardly tells us the full story. At the front, the M178 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine should have seen some power bumps from the 350kW and 384kW in the base GT and GT S, respectively. Still sounds fantastic, as evidenced by this Nordschleife footage.
The most powerful variants of the C-Class and E-Class both use a similar engine with with a marked step up in raw output, and the updated AMG GT should see figures rise to match these more closely, perhaps even exceeding the 450 kilowatts in the newest E 63 S 4Matic.
Either way, drive should be sent to the rear wheels exclusively through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, same as before. Performance should be further improved by optimisations made to the suspension and electrically assisted steering system, though the brilliant rear-wheel steer is likely to remain a feature reserved for the track-oriented GT R variant.
Despite it being thought as technically a 2019 model year car, keys to the updated AMG GT will likely begin to populate the hands and pockets of lucky owners toward the tail end of 2018, following a full launch at a major motor how in early stages of next year, with the annual Geneva venue in March a likely target.
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