Mercedes introduced the updated 2020 AMG GT lineup back in late November 2018 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but it’s only now the two-door performance car is hitting the assembly line. The very first vehicle of the bunch is none other than the range-topping version and at the same time the new addition to the family. We’re talking about the GT R Pro, which for the time will remain the crown jewel of the range. It’s the temporary flagship taking into account a Black Series version is in the works.
Looking mighty fine at Daimler’s Sindelfingen factory in Germany, the GT R Pro won’t be a regular production model as Mercedes wants to keep the car exclusive by building it in limited numbers. At the same plant, the three-pointed star puts together an assortment of regular production cars, including the E-Class, CLS-Class, and the S-Class. It also builds the GLA and the fancy Maybach models.
Gallery: 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT
As you may recall, the new coupe-only GT R Pro doesn’t have more power than the anything-but-regular GT R, but it does have some upgrades to improve the car’s performance on track. Derived from the GT3 and GT4 race cars, the Pro comes with standard carbon ceramic brakes and revised bodywork for better aerodynamics. It also utilises a reworked coil-over suspension with manually adjustable dampers along with adjustable anti-roll bars at the front and rear.
Being designed primarily to shave off tenths of a second per lap at the local circuit, the GT R Pro has a Track Package. Not available in the U.S., Canada, and China, the kit encompasses a fire extinguisher, four-point harness for the driver and passenger, and a bolted steel roll cage, among others. In the regions where the Track Package is not available, there are matte carbon fibre trim pieces and a boot brace instead of the kit’s goodies.
Should you want the best of the best, the AMG GT Black Series is expected to arrive at some point in 2020. Meanwhile, we’ll be seeing prototypes at the Nürburgring this summer.
No roof or two extra doors?
All lights on green: start of production of the new Mercedes-AMG GT in Sindelfingen
The production of the facelifted Mercedes-AMG GT model has begun at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. Michael Bauer (2nd from right), Head of Production of the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant and Site Manager, and Ergun Lümali (front right), Chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen Works Council, celebrated the first vehicle – a Mercedes-AMG GT R PRO (fuel consumption combined 12.4 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 284 g/km)[1] – together with the production team. The high-end sports cars in the two-door Coupé and Roadster variants of the Mercedes-AMG GT family and the limited edition of the Mercedes-AMG GT R PRO are produced with a hand-built character by specially trained staff.
"The start of production of the revamped Mercedes-AMG GT sports cars shows once again that the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant is not only a manufacturer of top-quality volume-produced vehicles. This way, we are able to keep expanding our scope of expertise. With our highly motivated and experienced team we are in a position to meet our customers' wishes for highly exclusive vehicles such as the Mercedes-AMG GT. We are rightly proud of that," says Michael Bauer, Head of Production of the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant and Site Manager.
"Our production of the Mercedes-AMG GT demonstrates once again that we have a highly qualified workforce at the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant which is dedicated to producing vehicles to the very highest standards of quality. Within the competence centre for luxury vehicles of Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen, the production of the Mercedes-AMG GT as a top sports car clearly plays a special role. As members of the Works Council, we are pleased that the production of the Mercedes-AMG GT is helping to secure jobs," says Ergun Lümali, Chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen Works Council.
The production of the Mercedes-AMG GT series, which was developed in Affalterbach, involves a high degree of top-quality hand finishing at the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant. Fabric top, carbon-fibre or glass roof, standard equipment or exclusive customised options: the employees at the respective stations are all prepared for assembling and fitting each of these variants. The components are supplied to the highly flexible production line as 'packages' tailored to the specific vehicle concerned.
The facelift lends the two-door Mercedes-AMG GT family an additional edge, with updates on the exterior and more agile performance and handling courtesy of integrated AMG DYNAMICS handling control, the new AMG Performance steering wheel, a centre console with innovative display buttons and a fully digital instrument display, for example. The AMG GT R PRO limited edition has been modified in numerous points of detail for even better racetrack performance. These modifications include a new suspension and the optimised power/weight ratio, which benefits from lightweight bucket seats and lightweight wheels. The aerodynamics have also undergone further fine-tuning.
About the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant
The Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant is the competence centre for premium and luxury class vehicles and the lead plant factory for the production of the S- and E-Class series. In future, electric vehicles of the new product and technology brand EQ will be produced at the site. Together with the central production organisation of Mercedes-Benz Cars, the plant employs a workforce of more than 25,000. Mercedes-Benz manufactures the E-Class (saloon and estate) and the CLS, the S-Class (saloon, coupé and convertible), the Mercedes-Maybach, the Mercedes-AMG GT family and the GLA. Around 250 vehicles are delivered daily to the Mercedes-Benz Customer Center in Sindelfingen.
[1] The stated figures were determined in accordance with the prescribed measuring method. They constitute the "NEDC CO2 figures" pursuant to Art. 2 No. 1 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1153. The fuel consumption figures were calculated based on these figures.