Mercedes AMG GT2 Edition W16 breaks cover
830hp GT2 is the most powerful Mercedes customer racing car ever, with just 30 to be made...
The multimillionaire who must have it all isn’t short of track car choices right now. Now joining the very exclusive club (that seems less exclusive by the day) is this, the Mercedes-AMG GT2 Edition W16. That’s W16 as in the F1 car, by the way, not some wild new engine. It’s the most powerful Mercedes Customer Racing car ever made, and is described by Christoph Sagemüller - Head of AMG Motorsport - as nothing less than “a spectacular race and track day vehicle in every respect.” And he would know.
As per any great AMG, the engine takes centre stage. It’s the familiar flat-plane-crank version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (as in the old GT Black Series), now benefitting from new turbos and ‘modified engine electronics’ compared to the regular GT2 race car for 707hp. Which is a good start, but then the Edition W16 also features a Push2Pass feature (Formula 1 again, y’see) to unleash 830hp and 737lb ft. Which are the sort of figures that make two-tonne roadgoing AMGs pretty quick, let alone 1,400kg racers. That won’t race. There’s a six speed sequential in a transaxle, hooked up to the engine via a carbon torque tube, to get that prodigious power and torque to the tarmac.
Indeed, like so many of these super duper track cars, the calibre of the hardware is probably a bit beyond that permitted by competition. The dampers are four-way adjustable in an Edition W16, with the same number of settings to fiddle with for the pair of anti-roll bars. The wheels are magnesium, the brakes ‘high performance’ - good to know with the top speed now beyond 200mph…
Partly the Vmax increase will be due to the power, but it’s also thanks to the aero tweaks that make a GT2 into an Edition W16. There’s DRS, for one thing, activated on the wheel, plus ‘aerodynamically optimised exterior mirrors’ - every little helps at 200 - a carbon bootlid lip and active louvres above the front wheels. The diffuser ahead of them is bigger than before, too. It’s as mean to look as might be hoped for.
Mercedes is going to build just 30 of these monsters, and those willing to part with the 679,000 euros to get one (the very best part of £600k at the moment) will be getting the VVIP treatment. As well as the car cover (wouldn’t be a special edition without a car cover) plus race overalls and helmet from OMP and Bell respectively, there’s going to be a handover at ‘an exclusive event at a European racetrack’. That’s going to include a driving opportunity, plus a meet and greet with members of the F1 team. Money can’t buy stuff, typically, unless you’re really rich. Next thing you know, they’ll be able to have their own livery, rather than the Petronas-inspired arrangement seen here…
Kimi Antonelli is described as a ‘prominent patron’ of the Edition W16 GT2, so he has hand-signed the door sills. Speaking of driving it, Antonelli said: “I had the opportunity to test drive the Mercedes-AMG GT2 Edition W16 and had so much fun that I would have loved to spend more time on the track. The Push2Pass function is a truly sensational feature. The edition model is not only fast, but also safe. This immediately inspires confidence. I am very proud to be part of this project and to have my signature immortalised in every Mercedes-AMG GT2 Edition W16.” They’ve trained him well. In all seriousness, though, what a machine this looks. Exclusive track days will never be the same again…
A GT3 Touring and Range Rover for the road, and one of these customer ‘racers’ for fun and you’re at well under half what Pagani etc. charge for a single road car.
It is still probably a bit of a pain in the arse (and expense) to have them carted around tracks, but one suspects they have factory run programs for that and you can exploit them in a way you simply can’t a road car with 1000+bhp.
Although, I suppose you’re then on the slippery slope of having a senior Radical or racing go-karts instead of this…
A GT3 Touring and Range Rover for the road, and one of these customer ‘racers’ for fun and you’re at well under half what Pagani etc. charge for a single road car.
It is still probably a bit of a pain in the arse (and expense) to have them carted around tracks, but one suspects they have factory run programs for that and you can exploit them in a way you simply can’t a road car with 1000+bhp.
Although, I suppose you’re then on the slippery slope of having a senior Radical or racing go-karts instead of this…
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