The Mercedes-AMG GT R is a little soft, said no one ever, yet the folks at Affalterbach have rolled out an even more track-focused version: the GT R Pro.
At 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces exactly the same output as in the GT R. It goes to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 318 km/h (198 mph), again, identical to the non-Pro variant, so nothing to write home about so far.
Until you look at the price tag, which at £188,345 ($245,481/€218,762) in the United Kingdom, is roughly £40,000 ($52,134/€46,460) higher than the GT R. Any way you cut it, that’s a huge premium for no extra go, so what exactly is Mercedes charging its customers extra for?
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Well, that would be the wilder aero kit with carbon front dive planes and splitter, carbon rear diffuser, a double-bubble roof, air vents (aka gills) at the top of the front fenders, standard carbon ceramic brakes, manually adjustable suspension that’s rose-jointed at the rear… The list goes on, and includes the Track Pack that brings in a roll cage and fire extinguisher, as well as carbon-backed, fixed bucket seats.
It also shows that AMG chose to meticulously fine-tune the GT R rather than just adding a few extra ponies by turning up the boost of those turbos, adding some extra carbon trim and calling it a day. That would have been much easier, but although it would make Merc’s top sports car faster in a straight line, we doubt it would actually make it better to drive.
Media representatives were given the chance to sample the GT R Pro at the Hockenheim track and found that it’s deeply entertaining to drive, feeling more agile and grippier than the GT R. But is actually worth paying that hefty premium? Let’s see what Carfection and Autocar had to say about it in the following video reviews.