Tasked with raising AMG’s game to fight Porsche’s 911 GT3, the new GT R promises great things. With more power, more effective aerodynamics, less weight and a chassis honed for serious track work, it should be the most complete, compelling and capable car AMG has ever made.
The heart of the GT R is AMG’s stonking 4-litre biturbo V8. As befits the R’s role as performance flagship, AMG has breathed on the motor to increase peak power to 577bhp, together with 516lb ft of torque from just 1900rpm right through to 5500rpm.
To achieve this the turbo internals have been modified, engine mapping revised and boost pressure increased from 1.2bar to 1.35. AMG’s engineers have also altered the compression ratio, refined the exhaust port design, changed the way the boost pressure builds and fitted a new dual-mass flywheel that’s 0.7kg lighter than that fitted to the GT S – all with the aim of sharpening throttle response.
