The article was originally produced on October 15, 2018, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

I test drive the green and wild Mercedes AMG GT R

On one of my many trips through Europe I came to the German racing track Bilster Berg. The course is located just south-west of Hannover and is a very special course. It is privately owned and not directly intended for competitions, but more for driving events and one of the reasons why Mercedes often housed here with test drives of new models. What makes the track special is how advanced it is, hilly and with different sections from a more conventional racing track. Quite simply a very fun but difficult track.

The event this time concerned the presentation of the Mercedes AMG GT family. Something I thought I had a handle on until this event when everything was put right.

Basically, it's about the successor to the SLS model, a super sports car with a front/mid-mounted V8 engine and room for two people

In addition, the characteristic gullwing doors. The AMG GT is a slightly smaller car than the SLS and can be mistakenly perceived as tamer. But this is where the mistake, which I made myself, begins. The AMG GT is not just a model but a whole family, which however starts with the GT version. After the GT comes the GT S, GT C, GT R, GT 4 and GT 3. The GT, GT S and GT C are also available as a Roadster version, i.e. without a roof. Since then, the family has also been supplemented with a four-door version called Coupé. As for the GT 4 and GT 3, these are track-prepared versions that are not legal to drive on public roads.

At the press events that we motor journalists are invited to, the schedule is usually very tight. When it comes to the events that involve driving on the track, the arrangement is even more time-limited and regulated for safety reasons.

Letting a bunch of journalists out on their own on a track like this with a rear wheel drive car with 585 horsepower is not a good idea

The arrangement is therefore that you get to drive three or four laps behind an instructor in a group of four cars. In honour of the day, the sky had chosen to be constantly open and the rain poured down, so much so that the speed on the track could not exceed 30 kilometres per hour as the cars had R tyres which have a smaller tread than normal tyres and therefore aquaplan more easily. The test drive of the AMG GT R on this day was therefore completely pointless.

Because I had arrived at the event with my own car and not by plane like my colleagues, and would only fit a ferry the next day and not a flight at lunch like the others. Therefore, I was able to return to the track the next day. Now there were no rain clouds in the sky and the track began to dry up. As the only journalist on site, I first had to accompany one of the instructors on a lap so that he would warm up the tyres of the car I was going to drive. Then a stint followed him that lasted at least twenty minutes. The pace was increased every lap and as the track and race line dried up.

I am very used to driving fast cars and on the track, but in the last five laps the speed was incredibly high and without a doubt a little over my own ability. Had it not been for the instructor in front and me being able to follow his car and manoeuvres, I would not have been able to maintain such a high pace. The feeling of going into a corner without braking and at full throttle and fully trusting what the skilled instructor in front was doing was incredibly cool. This really gave me the opportunity to feel what Mercedes managed to achieve with the AMG GT R.

Together with the other AMG GT models, Mercedes has created a whole family of sporty cars for the discerning. If you just want a slightly sportier car, but aren't interested in driving hard on the track, then you choose the GT or GT S, you don't care about public roads at all and just want to drive on the track and maybe even race, yes then it is one of the GT 4 or GT 3 models that you should look at. Personally, a GT C Roadster would suit me very well as I like the possibility of being able to drive roofless and hear the sound of the lovely V8 engine fully and have the sun warming my forehead.

Mercedes AMG GT R

Basic price	From SEK 1,645,000
Engine	4-litre twin-turbo V8, 585 hp. Torque 700 Nm
Transmission	Front engine, DC7 Speedshift 7-speed automatic, dual clutch, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel steering
Acceleration	0-100 in 3.6 seconds
Top sire	318 km/h
Fuel consumption mixed driving according to the manufacturer	1.17 l/mile
Weight	approximately 1,630 kg
Guarantees	New car 2 years, carriage damage 2 years, rust protection 30 years
Web	www.mercedes-benz.se