Put it simply, the second generation AMG GT becomes virtually the hardtop variant of SL, although their styling differ. We have expected this happening since the debut of the new SL, but their high level of commonality still catches us a surprise. The GT shares everything mechanical with the roadster: powertrains, suspension, chassis as well as interior, which gets +2 seats for the first time. It shares the roadster's 2700 mm wheelbase, while overall length is just a couple of centimeters longer. At 4730mm long, it is a full size larger than the old car, and this reflects on scale, i.e. an alarming 1895 kg DIN, a figure it shares with the SL again.

As for styling, the front end keeps the genes of the first generation GT, while the tail is a copycat of 911. In addition to the +2 seat, AMG makes no secret that it wants the GT to be seen as the front-engined equivalent of 911.



The car employs active aerodynamic aids, comprising of an active rear spoiler, active shutter grilles and a movable flap located at the front underbody. The latter can be lowered by 40mm at speed to activate ground effect.

Like SL, the GT offers a pair of 4-liter twin-turbo V8 for customers to choose from. In GT 55, it produces 476 hp, good for 183 mph and 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. In GT 63 form, these numbers are lifted to 585 hp, 196 mph and 3.1 seconds. Except the last one, all these figures are identical to its SL sibling.

Needless to say, the coupe shares the roadster's 9-speed MCT gearbox, 4matic+ all-wheel-drive system, adaptive dampers, active rear-wheel steering and electronic LSD. Ditto the hydraulically interconnected suspension called "Active Ride Control" that replaces conventional anti-roll bars.



Inside, the dashboard, console, tunnel, door cards and all technology are shared with the SL. The rear seats are just as tiny, suitable to only small children or luggage. Speaking of luggage, it is probably the biggest improvement from the old car. Boot volume is almost doubled to 321 liters, and it can be extended further to 675 liters with the rear seats folded.



Mercedes is expected to price the GT 55 at £150,000 and GT 63 at £180,000, the same as what Porsche charges for the 911 Turbo and Turbo S. However, the Porsches are not only more powerful (580 and 650 hp) but 255 kg lighter, far quicker in acceleration (0-60 in 2.6 and 2.7 sec) and faster in top speed (199 and 205 mph), and almost certain to be better to drive. AMG seems like committing suicide.

GTD means diesel hot hatch to Volkswagen, but to Ford, it denotes the most extreme Mustang ever appear on road. The story of its birth is not unlike that of the outgoing Ford GT supercar. 2 years ago, Ford CEO Jim Farley wants to build a Mustang that could smash the likes of Porsche GT3 RS on track. A secret team of engineers and designers was set up at a location isolated from other operations of Ford. Canadian engineering firm Multimatic was chosen as partner for development as well as final assembly, which is no surprise given that it did the same to the GT supercar. Ford worked on the drawing board, provided its most powerful engine available and many components from the Mustang's parts bin. Multimatic developed an all-new chassis that uses only some basic stampings from the Mustang's monocoque. No one knew about this project until today, when Farley unveils it to the public.

Although the car has no relationship with the Mustang GT3 racing program which was under development in parallel, Ford wants to assoicate its image with racing success, so it chose the name GTD, i.e. the IMSA equivalent of GT3 category.

Priced at $300,000, the GTD will be easily the most expensive Mustang road car ever built, about 4 times as expensive as the Shelby GT500. It has specifications to back up, but scarcity it is not, because Ford wants to sell up to 2,000 copies of it.



The GTD starts from the basic structure of Mustang, but almost everything else have been replaced. All body panels bar the doors and glass are bespoke carbon-fiber items. Fenders are widened massively as the car is 100 mm wider overall. Extra vents are opened at the bonnet and front fenders, GT3 RS-like. The rear fenders sports intakes like mid-engined sports cars, which are used to cool the new transaxle (more on that later). A huge rear wing is suspended by swan-neck arms, again like GT3 RS, leaving a clean underside to optimize aerodynamic efficiency. Big diffusers and carbon-fiber underbody adds further downforce. The rear wing has an active element like Formula One's DRS, while movable flaps at the front underbody can balance the rear downforce.

The 5.2-liter supercharged V8 is developed from the GT500. On that car, it produced 760 hp and 625 lbft of torque. Seems that development is still on-going, Ford declines to offer any details, just confirms it will make more than 800 horsepower and rev to higher than 7500 rpm. For better track performance, the V8 is converted to dry-sump, but it is not mounted any lower, disappointingly. It breathes through a titanium exhaust.



The big news is the new transaxle. Until now, all Mustang road cars have their gearbox attached right behind the engine. The GTD goes so extreme that it abandons this arrangement and opts for a new 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle supplied by Tremec. Moreover, unlike other transaxle applications on front-engined cars, it has the gearbox mounted behind the rear axle, much like a mid-engined machine. This increases polar moment of inertia, which is not good, but it helps balancing the heavyweight V8 up front, as Ford struggles to meet its weight distribution target of 50:50 (at the moment it has achieved 51:49, so more work has to be done). Official pictures show that the front end of the transaxle is flat, implying it might be designed for mid-engined applications but converted for Ford's use. The transaxle is linked to the engine by a carbon-fiber driveshaft.

Mounted right above the gearbox is a subframe on which a sophsticated suspension is mounted. This multi-link system employs push-rods to operate inboard springs and dampers. The latter is Multimatic's own DSSV, of course. As in the case of Ford GT supercar, the DSSV dampers have the additional function of dual-ride height and dual-spring rate adjustment. By switching to Track mode, the suspension will drop by 40mm and rest on stiffer springs. The front suspension is all-new, too, a double-wishbone setup, also completed with DSSV dampers.

The GTD employs 20-inch wheels (aluminum or optional magnesium) and shod with massive Michelin Cup 2 R tires: 325/30ZR20 up front and 345/30ZR20 at the rear. The former is definitely the widest we have ever seen. Brakes are Brembo carbon-ceramic items, of course.



Strangely, no performance figures have been hinted at its launch, except a Nurburgring lap time of under 7 minutes. That should place it in the same sentence as some of the fatest Porsches and Lamborghinis, if not for long. As production is slated for late 2024 or early 2025, there is still a lot of work to do. No wonder so much information is lacking.

The same goes for the interior, which is not revealed yet. All we know is there will be flat panel display taken from the standard car and a pair of Recaro buckets but absolutely no rear seats. The latter is not only to save weight but also to work as cargo space. Why? Because the boot is sacrificed for the transaxle and its cooling system. A pair of fans and a heat exchanger are mounted at the boot lid for the job. Wonder why not simply put the engine there, a la Clio V6.

Following Z, the Japanese market Skyline sedan also gets Nismo treatment. The 3-liter twin-turbo V6 is boosted to 420 hp, but strangely, it gets even more torque than the coupe, at 406 lbft from 2800-4400 rpm. 7-speed automatic is still the only transmission. Besides, the Nismo gets stickier Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires, better brake pads, stiffer suspension tuning and specific skirts all round. Not huge changes, since the car is already 10 years old.

The Nismo version of Z is supposed to be designed for hardcore drivers, but ridiculously, it ditches the manual gearbox which is available to the regular Z and sticks with a 9-speed automatic. Yes, the automatic might be actually quicker in acceleration, and this one is made quicker still by a strengthened clutch pack that allows nearly 50 percent quicker shift in the most aggressive mode, but still there is no replacement to the joy of making gearshift yourself, isn't it?

The VR30DDTT engine is largely the same as standard, but its ECU is remapped to allow higher boost pressure while cooling is improved and ignition timing is revised, resulting in an extra 20 horsepower. Peak power is now 420 hp, still released at 6400 rpm. Peak torque is improved similarly, by 34 lbft to 384 lbft, released from 2000 to 5200 rpm. No performance figures have been said, but expect to take the low 4-second range to reach 60 mph.



Outside, the Nimso version gets deeper air dam and skirts to improve both downforce and drag. The chassis gets extra bracings, but torsional rigidity is lifted by merely 2.5 percent. The suspension gets stiffer springs, dampers, roll bars and bushings. The front brakes are enlarged from 355 to 380mm, while the higher performance calipers are made of aluminum. The new forged alloy wheels are wider yet slightly lighter. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 tires should offer more grip, especially as the rear tires get 10mm wider.



Inside, the Nismo uses lighter and sportier Recaro buckets, but they are manually adjustable. Otherwise, all creature comfort features have been retained. We heard that the car is actually heavier than the regular Z, so it is definitely not a hardcore track car.