Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster confirmed for 2017 release ~ station of gear

AMG chairman Tobias Moers claims Merc’s flagship GT soft-top will remain a “proper sports car”

2016-06-27 13:20

The scorching Mercedes-AMG GT R was revealed late last week, and expanded the brand's flagship sports car’s range to three models. However, AMG’s boss has confirmed there will be at least two more road-going variants of the GT coming, including a convertible.

Speaking to Auto Express at the launch of the GT R, chairman of the Mercedes-AMG division Tobias Moers told us that a soft-top version was coming in 2017, but could be revealed for the first time at the end of this year.

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“The convertible has moved well beyond the drawing board” Moers told us. “it will be the next AMG GT model to arrive”. Rumours have suggested that prototypes of the AMG GT ‘Roadster’ are already out and about testing in disguise.

Moers didn’t reveal specific details about the drop-top’s engineering, but he strongly countered suggestions that it would cross into territory occupied by the SL. “The SL is a grand tourer, this will absolutely be a proper sports car”.

He also highlighted that the stiffness of the regular AMG GT’s chassis meant it would still be a sharp driver’s car, even accounting for the structural losses of the roof. The suspension won’t require major changes over the hardtop, either.

Sources suggest that, in order to keep weight and complexity down, the AMG GT will use a traditional cloth roof rather than a folding metal hardtop. It’s likely to be available as both the regular 456bhp GT and the 503bhp GT S at launch, but expect a premium of at least £10,000 for the cabrio.

Moers also confirmed another road-legal GT model is on the way, but refused to give out details on that. It’s likely that we could see an even more powerful range-topper, possibly called ‘Black Series’, in 2018. We will also see a GT4 customer racing car that sits below the GT3 model.

Do you like the idea of a proper convertible sports car from Mercedes-AMG? Let us know in the comments section...

Lawrence Allan

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