Skip to main content

Up close with the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept

Up close with the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept

/

Pure, unrestrained motoring aggression

Share this story

In spite of all its glistening sheen and modern technology, the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show today feels almost primal. Its exaggerated, dominant front end is like a neanderthal’s oversized jaw, grinning a toothy radiator smile. The designers aimed for and indeed accomplished "extremely muscular proportions," and they painted this show car in a most enigmatic warm color that’s never quite certain if it’s red, orange, pink, or yellow.

Speaking with Mercedes representatives here in Geneva, I was told that this four-door concept is very close — somewhere in the range of 90 percent — to the eventual Mercedes-AMG sports car that will be released at some point in the not too distant future. Beside looking all kinds of aggressive and awesome, this is also a hybrid, borrowing some technology and inspiration from the dominant Mercedes Formula 1 team. That breaks slightly with the AMG tradition, but the tons of power and performance contained within are right in line with what is typically expected of the brand.

In a sea of sharply, aggressively styled cars, the new Mercedes-AMG GT Concept still manages to stand out, and I think it’s all down to its little details. The golden wheel decorations, bronze brake calipers, and elongated taillights cohere beautifully with the red color scheme. Wing mirrors are omitted in favor of rear-facing cameras, the side windows are frameless, and the roof is finished in carbon fiber. I especially like the fact that all of this seems perfectly feasible and achievable, giving us a real preview of an upcoming car instead of some fevered dream of an overambitious designer. Though it’s still pretty dreamy!

1/20

Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

Photography by Vlad Savov / The Verge