Mercedes is preparing a compact coupe keeping the Porsche 911 firmly in its sights.
We’ve been speaking about the Mercedes SLC for a while, and now it’s finally starting to become a reality. The compact coupe from Mercedes, being developed by the AMG division, is in an advanced stage of testing. And the camouflaged specimens snapped at the Nurburgring recently allows us an insight into its definitive looks – long and flat hood, back-set cabin, and sides stylized in the tradition of the A-class. In short, it’s designed to sell. It’ll hit dealerships at the beginning of 2015, but AMG fans will get their first look at the car – which is likely to be called the SLC or AMG GT – halfway through next year.
The first time
The new coupes’ destination is clear – and it’s not far from the Mercedes headquarters in Stuttgart. A little further North, in the nearby neighbourhood of Zuffenhausen, are the Porsche headquarters – after all, from time immemorial the 911 has been the reference point for all performance coupes that can also be used as everyday cars. The fact is that Mercedes has never produced a model to rival the iconic Porsche. The SLS is in a whole different category altogether, while the coupes from Mercedes are either too imposing or not sporty enough. The SLC / AMG GT is now ready to fill this vacuum. Besides the 911, if we look at the arena of performance coupes, we find cars like the Audi R8 and the Jaguar F-Type. Like its German and British rivals, the AMG GT should also be counting on a V8 to challenge the 6-cylinder boxer of the 911 – or, to be more precise, to a 4-litre bi-turbo V8 with 400 horsepower (on the basic version), close to 500 on the most aggressive S model, and approximately 570 (more or less like a basic SLS) on the Black Series. The torque will be transferred to the rear wheels through the double-clutch 7-speed gearbox already fitted to the SLS, placed in the transaxle at the rear and naturally fitted with paddles on the steering wheel for manual gear selection.
Compact size
In the footsteps of its older sister, this baby SLS has adopted an aluminium body. The objective is to make a car decidedly lighter than the SLS, which weighs over 1,700 kilos. The idea is to scale down to 1,500kgs. To make this a reality, the coupe gives up its gullwing doors. This also provides the advantage of lowering the centre of gravity. The more compact size also plays a role. In theory, the GT shouldn’t exceed 4.5 metres in length, despite a front hood that is still quite long. The wheelbase is likely to be 2.63m, five centimetres less than the SLS. As for the sleek and clean styling of the rear, it almost certainly hides an extractable spoiler. In addition, there’s a flat underbody, along with other aerodynamic devices to ensure the downforce needed to deal with max speeds surpassing 300km/h. This is what the GT promises anyhow. Together with a 0-100 acceleration time of less than 4 seconds, and the driving dynamics which Mercedes hopes will be sufficient to convince some of the 911 loyalists to veer South geographically and leave Zuffenhausen for the three-pointed star. In the end, following decades of evolutionary (some would say stagnant) design, the new AMG could represent a breath of fresh air for even the most loyal Porsche fans.
The AMG files
EXPANDED RANGEThe image below, released last year for the 40-year anniversary of Mercedes’ Sportline, showcases the current range along with that of future AMG’s (under the white covers). The SLC is one of these, along with the ‘mean’ versions of the A-class, the CLA, and the S63 AMG. The goal is to improve on the current 20,000 units, and reach 30,000 a year.
The Rivals
NOT JUST PORSCHE
The Mercedes joins the high-adrenaline coupe club, where the Jaguar F-Type will also make an imminent debut
The arena that the AMG will enter is starting to get overcrowded. The Audi R8 (around 7 years old now) musters ‘only’ 430 horses – it needs the 5.0 litre V10 to pass 500. The F-Type coupe will also join the party with a 5.0 litre V8 with 495bhp, while the 911 Turbo makes do with a 3.8 litre six-cylinder boxer engine that produces 520bhp – 560 in the Turbo S.
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