Mercedes-AMG unveil GT Night Edition ‘entry point’

MERCEDES-AMG has revealed a new, very exclusive entry point to its GT sportscar range in the form of the Night Edition, of which just 15 will be offered here despite its $294,200 plus on-road costs starting price.

That sub-$300k starting price places the Night Edition a huge $47,000 below the existing GT C coupe ($341,200) in the now four-variant line-up however as one would expect, a few sacrifices have had to be made in order to reach the price point.

For starters, the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 has had 20kW/10Nm skimmed off its usual 410kW/680Nm outputs to now deliver 390kW/670Nm, all of which is still delivered to the rear wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The results largely speak for themselves with the 0-100km/h time being trimmed by 0.1s to a still-potent 3.8 seconds.

All of the usual GT goodies are still present under the skin however including the adaptive AMG Ride Control suspension, electronically controlled limited-slip differential and high-performance composite braking system based around 390x36mm front rotors 360x26mm rears.

As the name alludes to, the Night Edition has been decked out with AMG’s ‘Exterior Night Package’ along with a heap of other darkened features including a dark-chrome grille, black headlight elements, AMG carbon-fibre roof with dark-tinted side areas and staggered matt black AMG Y-spoke light-alloy wheels (19-inch front, 21 rear), behind which peek out black brake callipers.

Three colourways are being offered – ‘Obsidian Black’, ‘Selenite Grey’ and ‘Graphite Grey Magno’ – however the allocation split is yet to be confirmed.

Standard equipment highlights meanwhile include Nappa leather upholstery, a 10-speaker Burmester surround sound system, dual-zone climate control, heated and electrically adjustable AMG Performance seats finished with diamond-pattern quilting with memory function, a Dinamica microfibre AMG Performance steering wheel, dark tinted glass, AMG Interior Night Package, Dinamica microfibre roof lining, ‘Night Edition’ centre console badge and a ‘piano lacquer’ finished interior.

Safety is then headlined by the inclusion of eight airbags, active brake assist, blind spot assist, lane keeping assist, reversing camera and the Pre-Safe accident anticipatory system.

Mercedes-AMG has sold 18 GTs so far this year ending April, accounting for 5.1 per cent of the $200,000-plus sportscar segment, a class currently being dominated by its arch-rival, the Porsche 911 (121/34%).

2021 Mercedes-AMG GT pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs