The 503-horsepower Mercedes AMG GT is an-all new, painstakingly developed prodigal sports car, so it’s no surprise to learn that it will be sticking around for a while.
Like its main rival, the Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz is planning a multiple-year lifespan for the headline-grabbing coupe, with several exclusive spinoffs popping up along the way.
In an interview with Motoring at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, AMG boss Tobias Moers confirmed his company would be focusing on “lifecycle management” for the sports car.
“You have to take care of the lifecycle,” he said. “You have different variants that you add to the lifecycle at certain points. There is more to come in the porfolio of the GT.”
So far, there’s the standard, 460-horsepower AMG GT, a hopped-up 503-hp AMG GT S, and the unquestionably beautiful but mechanically identical AMG GT Edition 1.
We’re still at the beginning of the car’s lifespan, so the possibilities for lineup variety are endless. An extreme Black Series and convertible version are nearly a foregone conclusion at this point, but a GT3 racecar, electric drive, and other visually-enhanced interpretations of the GT are possible as well.
When questioned about the possibility of all-wheel drive, though, Moers was reticent.
“Technically-wise everything is possible, but there is no plan in that platform.”
Related: Want more Mercedes AMG GT? Check out this awesome Black Series rendering
With a starting price of $146,270, the AMG GT now enters a much broader (and more cutthroat) sports car market. Remember, the GT’s predecessor, the SLS AMG GT, retailed for over $220,000.
“We are now in a traditional sports car segment and I know who is the masterpiece so far there,” Moers said, referring to the 911. “But the competitive set has increased there. We have a Jaguar [F-Type], we have an Audi R8, and the P13 [McLaren] is coming sooner or later in that segment. It is all about competition.”
The GT S arrives in Spring 2015.
