Mercedes-AMG outs GT silhouette

MERCEDES-AMG’S “monumental” GT coupe will exhibit every bit of the company’s signature V8 bellow and feature the styling of its SLS big brother in a smaller package when it arrives later this year.

Set to premiere at the Paris motor show in October before hitting European roads early in 2015, the GT will be the second sports model developed independently by Mercedes’ performance arm in Affalterbach, and is being pitched as a rival for the all-conquering Porsche 911.

One month after revealing an official image of the luxurious red-and-black cabin (see separate story linked below), Mercedes-AMG has released a teaser video showing the car being put through its paces on tarmac and snow.

While the car’s styling remains under disguise, Benz is less shy about revealing the evocative growl emanating from its four tail-pipes – deep, rich and guttural.

Few facts about the vehicle are known, though it has been revealed that under the long and low bonnet will sit a fiery AMG V8 engine, matched to a paddle-shifter double-clutch automatic transmission.

Speculation suggests the engine will be a new force-fed 4.0-litre unit to be shared with the next-generation C63 AMG, though naturally its maker is keeping quiet on that front for now.

Interjected in the 49 seconds of footage is a sequence of quotes alluding to the car’s performance and abilities.

“This is what you get when conquering a twisty road is what matters the most. When driving performance is more than just a phrase. When driving performance becomes a reality,” it said.

“This is what you get when a company unleashes its creative and engineering forces to combine the absolute best of all it has done into a single, monumental, unwavering achievement.”