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With warpaint inspired by the legendary Green Hell, this Mercedes-AMG GT R is a serious track monster. WORDS DAN BEVIS IMAGES JASON DODD HellbeastIt may seem like an obvious thing to say, but the Mercedes-AMG GT is a special car.
A very warm welcome to the first of CAR’s three special 60th anniversary issues. Yep, the world’s best (and most modest) car magazine pre-dates the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon (1969), Porsche’s first overall Le Mans win (1970) and the arrival into this world of one Elon Reeve Musk (1971).
Doubling our virtual budget puts a lot more exciting machinery within our grasp and so the first thing we’re naturally going to jump on is a V8 – because why wouldn’t you? – and we’ve opted for the C209 CLK55. We’re not going to beat about the bush because the reason we’re here right now is the M113 under the bonnet, here in its pure NA form, and in the CLK55 it makes an impressive 367hp and a hefty 376lb ft of torque.
There had to be an M113K-powered four-door in this guide and it came down to either the W211 E55 or the CLS55 and, as you can see, the CLS was our choice. WHY YOU WANT ONEThere are several reasons – first of all, while it may be a larger and heavier car, the CLS is also 30% stiffer than the E-Class, it’s lower and it has quicker steering for a more responsive helm, and while the W211 did eventually receive the quicker steering, all CLSs had it from the off.
We’re back with another SLK but with our rather more substantial budget we’ve been able to treat ourselves to the full-fat SLK55 and if you’re looking for full-on driving thrills, this is the machine for you. While rivals BMW and Porsche were happy putting their hottest straight-sixes into their range-topping roadsters, AMG’s engineers decided to stick a V8 into the diminutive R171 SLK and the result was completely and utterly unhinged, and that’s exactly why it’s on our list.
The W205 C63 had a very hard act to follow because its predecessor, the W204 C63, was so awesome and so popular, and while this was a very different car, slightly less raw and wild perhaps, it was no less impressive. Buying Guide W205 C63 AMG OVER £20K WHY YOU WANT ONEIt’s a spectacular performance saloon and there’s a lot about this machine that makes it a very tempting proposition. Let’s begin under the bonnet with the M177; yes, the 4.
After the SLS, the GT is AMG’s only other standalone creation that isn’t based on a Mercedes model and, as far as we’re concerned, it’s absolutely stunning. Unveiled in 2014 before going on sale in 2015, the GT was developed with assistance from Lewis Hamilton and was designed to compete with – and beat – the best sports cars on the market.
AMG’s superhatch is even more appealing with the savings available from BuyaCar BuyaCar Buying Guide: Mercedes-AMG A45 S Mercedes-AMG is better known for its V8-powered super saloons than its hot hatchbacks, but after a shaky start with the original AMG A45 of 2015-2018, the latest version is something really quite special – so much so in fact that it secured a third-place finish in 2019’s evo Car of the Year.