*This article is reproduced from the autocarweekly official account
*Author: Shushu*
When the AMG GTR was officially discontinued, there was no Green Hell at the Nürburgring anymore; when the AMG A35L was no longer one engine per person, the philosophy of “One man, One engine” was challenged.
A questioning from the soul – What is AMG in this era?
Is it the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, which weighed 1,635 kg and became famous in the Spa 24 Hour Endurance Race in Belgium on June 24, 1971?
Is it the 300 E 6.0 AMG, known as “Hammer II”, which everyone dreamed of in 1988?
Is it the female protagonist’s car in “Transformers 3”?
Or is it the SLS personally driven by the car king Schumacher in the Alexander Tunnel?
Although emotions are precious, sincerity is priceless.
Just like how I feel that “Fast and Furious 9” is not worth the ticket price, as a not-so-emotional post-95 female car editor, I participated in an AMG GT 24-hour test drive event with great caution.
Drove Four AMG GT Models Like Rolling Drums
The GT series is the highest-end model currently on sale by AMG. Facing so many GTs at once, I quickly share my feelings.
During the morning road test drive, the fleet consisted of two-door and four-door AMG GT models. The one accompanying me on the 30-kilometer short journey was the AMG GT 50 four-door coupe, with a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder inline engine and a 48-volt intelligent motor, with a maximum horsepower of 367 Ps and a maximum torque of 500 newton-meters.
What one gains from driving this car on the road is not the driving experience itself because no one really drives an AMG GT and doubts its start or acceleration. It is the Nappa leather with large areas in the car interior, exquisite Parisian nail and embossing techniques that bring extremely joyful feelings. Of course, there are also the envious eyes of passers-by outside the car windows.
Take a deep breath and feel the noble breath that mortals cannot resist.
After reaching the Zhejiang Circuit, here is the GT series’ field of performance.First up is the AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ four-door coupe, and our job is to accompany them for a drifting experience, feel the 4.0-liter V8 engine explode with an instant 900 Nm of powerful backpressure. (The extremely cool maneuver below was done by the instructor. Although the road was wet, I might still only be able to drift successfully on ice and snow.)
Next is driving the AMG GT 50 four-door coupe for four straight-line accelerations. Stepping hard on the gas and then immediately stomping on the brakes without reservation, after four dizzying times, I am full of confidence in it.
Finally, it’s following the track, driving the AMG GT R PRO for four laps around the Zhejiang Circuit with the instructor leading the way.
With a V8 engine, a maximum power of 430 kW, peak torque of 700 Nm, a 9-level adjustable traction control system, and spiral spring suspension capable of instantaneously changing its hardness, paired with larger front aerodynamic elements, manually adjustable carbon fiber fixed rear wing, and rear carbon fiber aerodynamic components, this beast is hard to control, but it’s also the closest I’ve ever been to flying low to the ground.
To be honest, after the experience, I don’t remember any details about the appearance or interior of the car model, nor do I remember how different the different parameters felt. I only remember the adrenaline constantly pumping through me, and the excitement building one after another. After one car and then the next, all experiences at the Zhejiang Circuit had come to an end.
Is this feeling, that just keeps pushing people to nearly lose their senses, what AMG represents?
A scummy guy, yet an exquisite masterpiece, I like it so much.
AMG GT Black Series / The Most Powerful Car on the Market
Certainly, Mercedes-Benz has always wanted, and has been doing, to continuously showcase the engineering civilization preserved by AMG despite the historical vicissitudes. However, on May 24th, AMG not only wanted to show off its heritage, but also to release new models.
The AMG GT Black Series, the successor of the GT R, as well as the AMG GT Black Series Night Edition were launched. The former is priced at RMB 3,688,800 and the latter is priced at RMB 1,468,800.
Although it’s just a few tenths of a second faster, it still makes ordinary people feel that the price tag of 0 is a bit too much for the GT Black Series.
Is it only because the Black Series is the performance totem of AMG, pouring track technology into road models, giving this GT Black Series an irresistible sporty atmosphere, making it a special and legal road racing car, that it can be so expensive?
Is it only because it incorporates designs and technologies from the AMG GT3 and AMG GT4 races, is equipped with the most powerful V8 engine currently available in the AMG family, delivering a maximum output of 537 kW and a peak torque of 800 Nm, and has the best driving dynamics performance of the AMG brand, that it can be so expensive?
Is it only because it is equipped with a new type of flat crankshaft specially designed for its engine, and an upgraded turbocharger with larger blades to further improve gas circulation, increase the maximum speed, make the throttle response more sensitive, the power stronger, and the sound more unique? And is it only because of the improved AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed transmission, located at the rear axle with a drive bridge layout, which can achieve more optimal weight distribution and greatly improve the shifting response time, making the 0-100 km/h acceleration possible in just 3.2 seconds, that it can be so expensive?
Even if it is just for the engineer’s signature plaque to commemorate the concept of “one man, one engine” for the engine, decorated with the Black Series-exclusive black color, can it be so expensive?
In order to find the negative answer, I approached the Black Series display car.
Oh my God, its lightweight degree has completely surpassed the previous lightweight peak AMG GT R. Everywhere I see, from the front diffuser, front bumper, active aerodynamic partition to the engine cover, from the roof to the active adjustable two-stage spoiler and tailgate, everything is made of carbon fiber material.Underneath the hidden body lies powertrain compartment, driveshaft, and chassis shear panel that are all made of carbon fiber material. The lightweight carbon fiber torque tube that connects the engine and gearbox weighs only 13.9 kg, reducing the weight of the ordinary AMG GT model by about 40%. This means that it can better optimize the distribution of vehicle weight balance.
In addition, there are various lightweight measures such as thinner front and rear windshield glass, carbon-ceramic high-performance composite braking system, and lightweight alloy forged wheels.
Although people often say that men turn left and women turn right in the bedroom, both men and women will probably head towards the driver’s seat when faced with this AMG GT Black Series.
To welcome the launch of the GT Black Series and the Night Edition, driver Li Jingwen drove the GT Black Series and set a record of 1 minute 32.555 seconds in the Zhejiang International Circuit’s production car fastest lap.
Previously, the AMG GT Black Series had set a lap record of 6 minutes 43.616 seconds, becoming the fastest production car in the north loop of the Nürburgring, breaking the record of the GT R of 7 minutes 10 seconds and was 1.3 seconds faster than the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.
Well, the disharmony between men and women is resolved at this moment by AMG.
Of course, if you still think that the Black Series’ price tag is a bit too much and is hard to reach without winning the lottery, the Night Edition is not bad either.
The deep designo matte graphite gray paint fully exposes the hearts of the black-suited thugs. Put your hand on the black DINAMICA microfiber AMG high-performance steering wheel, step on the accelerator and enjoy the maximum power of 350 kW and maximum torque of 630 Nm from the AMG 4.0-liter V8 engine. If you want, the top speed can reach 304 kilometers per hour and the 0-100 km/h acceleration only takes 4 seconds.
Going back to the beginning, I already have an answer to the question of AMG and this era.
Has it changed? The adrenaline that never stops on the track tells me that AMG’s racing genes have never changed.Just the world and people always seem at odds, we often look back and sigh that what we have now is no longer as pure as it used to be, and our original intentions are not as simple as they were. As a result, we neglect the fact that the external world is always changing, and all the people and things that have experienced the washing of time with us are actually accompanying us to better reconcile and get along with this ever-changing world.
Wouldn’t such companionship be more worthy of tears than looking back on the past?
By the way, we have already bid farewell to high-displacement engines such as 6.2, 5.5, and 5.0. This AMG GT Black Series may even become the swan song of V8 in the future. Let’s cherish it while we can.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.