Yahoo Autos The 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro Is Lighter, Faster, Racier
UPDATE 11/30/18: Mercedes-AMG has released video of Maro Engel setting the lap time in the GT R Pro prototype at the Nürburgring, which we have embedded below.
Not content to rest on its laurels, Mercedes-AMG has revealed a new version of the range-topping GT R, which promises to be lighter and even faster around a racetrack. Called the GT R Pro, it's a special edition inspired by AMG's race cars, and it will only be available for the 2020 model year.
Some of the biggest changes to the GT R Pro are obvious at first glance. A large front splitter, canards on the front bumper, vents on the front wheel arches, a slightly different rear wing, and a diffuser element aft of the rear wheels are all new and finished in carbon fiber. AMG says that all of the aero modifications are functional, intended to increase downforce and reduce lift. The GT R shown in the photos is finished in matte gray with a lime-green stripe package, but the stripes can also be had in matte gray or deleted entirely. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard on the Pro-they're an $8950 option on the regular car-and the calipers are painted black. The carbon-fiber roof has also been redesigned; it now has a lower center and a double-bubble look.
There's even more going on under the skin. AMG has fitted a new coil-over suspension setup that is engineered for track use; drivers can mechanically set the spring preload length and also adjust the rebound and compression of the dampers via an adjustment dial on the dampers. The torsion bar at the front is made from carbon-fiber while the one at the rear is steel with a hollow design, and both are adjustable. The Pro also gets more spherical uniball bearings on the rear suspension, and AMG has tuned the dynamic engine and transmission mounts. The Pro is lighter than the standard GT R, according to AMG, although they don't say by how much. The powertrain is unchanged, with the GT R Pro being powered by the same 577-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8.
The GT R Pro also gets the same upgrades as the rest of the facelifted AMG GT lineup, including fresh LED headlights, a center console taken from the new GT 4-Door, a new steering wheel with touch-capacitive controls, a digital gauge cluster, and a larger central screen. All GTs now have the new AMG Dynamics driving-mode system, with the GT R getting a new Master setting that "fully exploits the dynamic potential" of the car on a track.
AMG says that, in early November, GT3 racer Maro Engel lapped a GT R Pro prototype around the Nürburgring in 7:04.6; that's six seconds quicker than an unofficial time set in a standard GT R by racing driver Christian Gebhardt in 2016. At our annual Lightning Lap track test at Virginia International Raceway, the regular GT R was briefly our second-quickest car ever, beating out more expensive cars like the Ferrari 488GTB and McLaren 650S.
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