Massive AMG GT track day photo dump and story

"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
12/07/2014 at 18:00 • Filed to: Track Day Bro!, AMG GT-S

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/there-are-no-w…

Finally getting around to making this post. I left off at the hotel after the first day at the track, before going to the "AMG Brand Night" dinner party. Went to the party, mingling, drinking, food, speeches, blah blah blah. It was actually a lot of fun. The highlight however was a test on the AMG brand. Yes, a test. A written on paper test. It was 8 questions. Whoever, out of probably 100 people, answered all of the questions correctly would win in a ride in the GT for some hot laps while 5 time DTM champion Bernd Schneider drove. Some of the questions were worded in a confusing way, some of them were head scratchers. We were given half an hour to fill it out then it was dinner time. We all talked the test over during dinner, among other things of course, no one thinking they got all of the answers correct. Then it came time to find out who won. IT WAS ME!!!!!!

Day 2 started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then shuttle to the track. At that point we had about an hour and a half of in class training regarding the new M178 and M177 engines as well as the C450 AMG sport.

After that the fun part would begin. We started driving almost all of the current US AMG fleet in the desert, not on the track. S63 coupe, CLS63, GLA45, CLA45, E63 sedan and wagon, alternating which car we were in and who was driving every couple of miles. Maybe went 30 miles or so, not sure, didn't really keep track. The point was to just get a feel for driving the cars on the road instead of the track. Well, someone, who may or may not have been me, may have allegedly exceeded 140mph in an S63 coupe. This person would probably tell you that he wasn't even aware the car was going that fast because it hardly felt any different than 60mph. Really though, we were all just trying to keep up with the lead car which was driven by one of our German instructors who was probably just used to the autobahn and forget we weren't in ze fatherland anymore.

After that little trip it was time for lunch. Again, delicious.

HOT LAP TIME!!!!! I admit, I was very nervous and excited. The three of us who won were all joking about who would get sick in the car or lose control of their faculties all over the seat. I thought I was a decent driver on the track, and as far as normal people go, I still think I am. But this was on a completely different level. Mr. Schneider was easily able to do 30-40mph more around of these corners than the rest of us. He used every inch of that track and nailed all of the apexes without trouble. He told me it's a very good car. After seeing what he could do with it, that to me seems like a bit of an understatement. SO FAST!!! The tires almost never stopped screaming and one corner felt like a long 100mph drift. It was intense.

Once I managed to wipe some of the smile off of my face it was time to drive the GT and C63 up into the mountains with some of their main competitors. Up against the C63 we had an F80 M3, and RS5 (because apparently its got much newer technology than the RS4 which they said is an older design). Up against the GT we had a 911 Carrera S and F-Type R. All brand new and the latest year possible. Off we went. It was about 35 miles to our turn-around point in the mountains.

I drove a GT first, and it is incredible on the street as well as on the track. Visibility is excellent for a car in this class. The adjustable suspension and other settings could make the car borderline squishy for comfortable daily-driving. I love it. This car is very menacing to have in your mirror. We got tons of looks, there were four groups of 6 cars each, all the groups were very close together. I honestly love everything about this car, except for the new shade of red interior, it looks too orange for my taste.

The F-type didn't sound as good to my ears, didn't feel as fast to my butt, and the interior was honestly a bit of a letdown. But the worst part was the lack of steering feel and feedback, which the GT has in spades. I still love that car and would own one if I had the money, but not before a GT.

The 911 was the non-turbo model and felt ungodly slow. It wouldn't even try to accelerate unless it was over 6k rpm. A non-turbo motor with turbo lag. Ridiculous. It had the usual porsche busy interior and was a bit confusing to figure everything out, so that definitely comes down to personal taste. The handling was nervous and twitchy almost to the point of being scary. This is not a confidence inspiring vehicle. For example, we were going around a corner at about 60mph, a few vehicles behind an ambulance (no lights flashing), and until I noticed the ambulance I was thinking "OMG OMG OMG OMG WE'RE GOING TO SPIN OFF THE CLIFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!" I have driven 911's before and I pretty much always have this feeling when driving them, and it is the only car that I've ever felt this way in, but this one felt worse than its most recent predecessors. Would never own, especially over a GT.

The RS5 had some of the worst handling I've ever experienced in a performance car. Turn the wheel, listen to the tires squeal, then experience half of the turn you were anticipating, causing you to turn even further and stress the tires even more. This car is understeer incarnate. Exhaust sounds great, car looks great, everyone liked the seats except for me. I hated the infotainment system thing, it was counter-intuitive.

The M3. Doesn't sound like any previous M3, even though they went back to a 3.0 litre I6 with twin turbos. But it does sound quite good. The steering wheel is fugly but very comfortable. The seats were mediocre, acceleration was so-so. Handling was of course quite good, but it lacked feedback. The transmission was very easy to confuse and at times shifted more roughly than a first gen SMG. Overall, we all agreed that BMW had lost a few steps with this one. I would even take an E36 M3 over and F80 M3.

Since this whole experience, every time I see a competitor car I just want to go tell the owner that they bought the wrong car.

They haven't released pricing on the GT or C63 yet, but I do know that they were aiming for "much closer to $100k than $200k". And they stressed that the GT is not a replacement for the SLS but more of a pure sports car intended to compete with the 911.

DISCUSSION (17)

Dsscats > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/07/2014 at 18:03

Kinja'd!!!

This is a fantastic photo. As in, manufacture brochure grade fantastic.

Brian Silvestro > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/07/2014 at 18:07

Dammit I want that car so bad now

Sn210 > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/07/2014 at 18:22

aaaaaaand im jealous

What were some of the test questions?

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/07/2014 at 19:24

Awesome write up and pictures! I'm so jealous. I want this car soooo bad.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Dsscats
12/07/2014 at 19:27

I know right! I wish I could take credit, but this was taken by a professional with a camera bigger than fiat.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
12/07/2014 at 19:27

Thanks! It's a really awesome car!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sn210
12/07/2014 at 19:29

How many engineers did AMG employ? 700. How many years has AMG been in business? 57. That's all I can remember though.

theOppositeofSlow > Dsscats
12/07/2014 at 22:39

Just need to photoshop the helmet off the driver to create a greater sense of approachability

theOppositeofSlow > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/07/2014 at 22:41

The 911 Turbo has been my all-time favorite car. Now Mercedes(AMG) drops this masterpiece on us and I don't know what to believe anymore...I'm scared

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > theOppositeofSlow
12/07/2014 at 23:31

Even some guys who work directly for AMG, engineers and bosses, all agree 911's are great cars and have owned them themselves. But they also agree that this car outclasses it. So much torque! And even I was able to hit 1.1 G's in a corner and I'm no professional driver! Best of all it isn't trying to kill you.

theOppositeofSlow > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/08/2014 at 07:59

Yea definitely this was made to be a 911 fighter, but I don't think they're in the same class. One of the favorite things about my '08 turbo is that it gives me the feeling of riding on top of the obedient offspring of a tiger/cheetah; that's simultaneously trying to rip my face off

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > theOppositeofSlow
12/08/2014 at 10:12

Lol I know what you mean. I think the GT may befaster around a track, but it doesn't give you the feeling that it's trying to kill you. Which I like. So maybe it's going to be as simple as personal preference, but most everyone at the event thought the GT was going to take a lot of business from Porsche.

theOppositeofSlow > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/08/2014 at 10:47

It's an acquired feeling lol. I have that same feeling about lose of sales. The 911 isn't an original design, as it has remained very similar over the decades. If it's the same price point as a 911, porsche is in trouble...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > theOppositeofSlow
12/08/2014 at 14:30

haha acquired taste. I don't drive at the track or at the limit enough to have acquired that taste I guess.

904 GTS > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/09/2014 at 12:18

Your last photo, in the lower middle portion of it, am I seeing yet another track in the desert or is it whisful thinking on my part? Can you provide more information, especially location and or perhaps even GPS coordinates, please?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > 904 GTS
12/09/2014 at 22:33

That's the mountain road we drove the car's on. It's all in the story, I know it's long winded, but it's in there. The track we were at was the Thermal Club in Palm Springs area. They have a website. That road is within an hour of the track, but I don't know what road it is or what direction from the track, I'm not from that area and we were just playing follow the leader.

904 GTS > 904 GTS
12/09/2014 at 22:42

Think I found it! After seeing the photo on a larger screen, it is obviously not a new dedicated track but the beginning of Hwy#74 from Palm Desert to Hemet, no doubt. As it is the only road nearby I could find (using Apple Maps) with such awesome twisties. Is that assumption correct?