New Mercedes-AMG GT revealed as potential Porsche 911 beater

In the world of German luxury cars, there are no prisoners taken among Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the newly combined Porsche-Volkswagen conglomerate. Yet in the half-century since Porsche launched the 911, Mercedes has never brought out a sports car that matched the 911 head-on.

That changed today with this: the Mercedes-AMG GT — a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive, 463-hp tourer that takes dead aim at the 911 and others.

"We are venturing out into a challenging sports car segment with its top-class competitive field," said Thomas Weber, the head of Mercedes-Benz research and development. "This is an incentive and motivation for us at the same time to prove to sports car enthusiasts around the world the kind of performance that AMG is capable of."

After the SLS, the AMG GT is only the second car designed completely by AMG, once a separate firm but now a wholly owned unit. With a unique 4-liter V-8 twin-turbo engine, the AMG GT boasts 456 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. Engineers positioned the turbochargers and exhaust manifolds inside the cylinder banks rather than outside, a “hot inner V” layout that makes the engine more efficient and compact.

Mercedes-AMG has also eliminated the need for an oil pan, by using a dry sump system, allowing the engine and center of gravity to move closer to the road. Early tests put 0-60 mph times at 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 189 miles per hour. The AMG GT S edition will sport 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, with a top speed of 193 mph and a 0-60 mph time around 3.7 seconds.