Pro. A new name on the Mercedes-AMG block, and yet one that’s already established quite a reputation for itself. Its inaugural GT R Pro felled the almighty McLaren 600LT when we took the pair to some favourite Welsh roads back in the innocence of late 2019.
A big set of Michelins to fill for the second coming, then, but things are a little different this time. The Pro badge returns on the back of a cooking GT coupe rather than an already track-biased example. It therefore does so without rose-jointed wishbones (for shame) though the GT 63 Pro still replicates its forerunner’s dedication to aero and track prowess on a smaller scale. Ceramic brakes are standard – as is a bespoke-compound Cup 2R on UK cars, a no-cost option elsewhere – while the relatively demure spoiler provides a glimpse of a more meaningful aero makeover underneath the car.
Merc’s official phraseology is that the GT 63 Pro offers ‘a sportier driving experience which is particularly noticeable on the occasional race track’. This is no hardwired circuit warrior; it’s a car designed to be as liveable as the GT now is in its second gen, just with a little extra longevity for a few fast laps. The option of back seats remains, as if to hammer the point home. (Did they sense the GT3 Touring was about to offer the same, I wonder…)
Power climbs a little over standard, the 63’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 getting an ECU tickle for climbs of 27hp and 37lb ft, to 612hp and 627lb ft. There’s still 1,950kg to shift, mind, and its 0-62mph time doesn’t fall. Its 0-124mph sprint drops by half a second, however, to 10.9secs. The top speed is 197mph. 4Matic+ four-wheel drive and a nine-speed auto remain intact, though both front and rear differentials benefit from a new active cooling system.
Beyond the new front apron – itself a perpetrator of better cooling and aero – there’s little to help car spotters identify a Pro. Its best work happens beneath, with new active aero functionality as well as underbody aero fins inspired by the AMG One hypercar (remember that?). The result is 30kg less lift on the front and 15kg more downforce at the rear. If we’re losing the less geeky readers in the room, then how about 420mm front ceramics, the largest AMG currently makes, tucked behind semi-slicked 21-inch forged alloys? Tweaks to the pads also enhance brake pedal feel, the experts assure us.
Time to find out. Ascari race circuit is being subjected to what I’d call ‘mixed’ weather conditions; sunny and dry during my product briefing, with black clouds rolling over right as my helmet strap tightens and Bernd Schneider, often Merc’s press event pace-setter –infamously expecting journalists to keep up with his idea of ‘thoughtful’ pace on events like these – buzzes the walkie talkie to check I’m ready.
Those initial, dry corners reveal a car that’s decent at metaphorically shrugging off a few of its kilos, but which never feels anything less than burly. A more circuit-minded car this may be, but it’s not succumbed to a ruthless diet. Yet there’s feel and fidelity through the steering and – yes – the left pedal. It’s less a leap of faith to replicate Bernd’s braking points than it might have been in a standard car.
The rain begins to pour around the halfway point, but the Cup 2Rs don’t collapse and my confidence rarely wavers. Occasional losses of grip typically surface as a brief snatch of understeer to encourage prudence – one easily followed by a nice, natural smear of the rear tyres to point me back on line, the front axle putting in its shift to keep us neat and tidy as the revs come thick and fast. Indeed, loosen the ESC and play the imp and it feels like you’re stifling the GT’s newly accurate swagger. With drier conditions – to demonstrate these tyres at their best – it’d be almighty.
I’m a little less sold on the enhanced engine sound of Race mode, with no spare mental capacity to start prodding away at the dinky drive mode screen to mute it. It’s not unlike a NASCAR driving around the base of a tin can and while that’s as curiously enjoyable as it sounds, its flamboyance jars with focus of the rest of the car. Still, it’ll be easily turned off when Herr Schneider isn’t leading the way.
Crucially there remains real novelty to a big, growling V8 sat ahead of you on a race circuit and with relatively short second and third gears, you’ll fly up and down the ratios at will. Helping you do so is a new upshift beep that chimes roughly 200rpm before the redline, ensuring you get within a hair’s breadth of the limiter each and every time. I don’t ruin the engineers’ day by pointing out the magical little Clio 200 did the same thing 15 years ago (at a tenth of the price), though it’s deftly integrated into the Pro’s driving experience and ought to warm the cockles of the enthusiast.
In truth, the Pro serves to highlight the boundless ability of its base car more than it represents a memorable step on from it. But a fleet of them are being deployed as track tuition cars, Bernd later tells me, while it already boasts an unofficial ‘Ring lap time of 7.11, matching the old GT R without Pro spec while around 15 seconds off a 992.1 GT3 on Cup 2Rs. It’s no GT3 rival, the AMG bods happily confide; they insist GT buyers aren’t necessarily cross-shopping with 911s, but also cede the Pro offers a mixture of GTS and Turbo attributes. It’ll be priced closer to the latter when order books open in early 2025, likely with a pleasingly small increase over the current, range-topping GT 63 Ultimate. So let’s say around £180,000.
Road driving impressions will have to wait until then too, but with suspension unchanged over the regular car – and none of the thinned glass or absent sound deadening of proper track specials – it’s fair to assume a similar conclusion to Nic C’s on the stock GT 63. Nevertheless, it doesn’t feel too premature to applaud this latest AMG GT – the fifth iteration of a car barely a year old – even if it only represents a subtle change over its core. Throwing carbon fibre at a car and hiking up the price is surely an easier sell than actively cooling its diffs and encouraging a chattier brake pedal. These are the things us nerds want, and it’s reassuring that AMG has made at least as much room for us on its mood board as those lobbing body kits at an A35.
Reserved purely for the GT 63 for now (no 4cyls or hybrids), the Pro badge could well roll out on other AMG products further down the line. Those in the know are predictably tight-lipped about the possibility, but its appearance so early in the second-gen GT’s life suggests it’ll grace this bodyshell again as the hardware sharpens further. Don’t be surprised if it filters down to other models, too. Here’s a bit of notable track nous without the same pressure a Black Series badge brings. And no need for the divisive bling.
Which also means this particular car is unlikely to embarrass a Longtail should we get one to North Wales, but there’s still more than enough drama to brighten the spotlight on an already impressive car.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+
Engine: 3,982cc, V8, twin-turbo
Transmission: nine-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 612 @ 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 627 @ 2,350-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.2secs
Top speed: 197mph
Weight: 1,950kg (EU)
MPG: 20.2 (WLTP)
CO2: 319g/km (WLTP)
Price: c£180,000
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