@wheelsaustralia 111
That’s unexpected too. Money no object,
it would be hard to look beyond.
Which leaves the Mercedes-AMG GT.
What it lacks in delicacy, it more than
compensates for in terms of guts and clout.
It nails the brief as a convertible better
than the others and does so for less without
ceding a great deal in terms of excitement.
Conversely, the car that looks most like
its coupe sibling, the Ferrari, probably
imposes the most noticeable dynamic
compromises. Many will still feel it’s worth
it for the almost overwhelming torrent of
sensation that pours into the cabin with
the roof down at full noise.
This is no comparison though. You could
make a case for any of these three, which
is what we’d hoped for at the start of this
trip. We’re tired, sunburnt, bug-splattered
and a little off-course but we got what we
came for. “You blokes okay?” asks the guy
in the Toyota trayback.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” says Inwood, grinning.
“Pretty good actually.”
AUDI R8 SPYDER
$388,211/Tested $430,211**
Drivetrain
Engine V10 (90°), dohc, 40v
Layout midengine(north-south),alldrive
Capacity 5204cc
Power 397kW@7800rpm
Torque 540Nm@6500rpm
Transmission 7-speed dual clutchChassis
Body steel/aluminium, 2 doors, 2 seats
L/W/H/W–B 4427/1940/1245/2650mm
Front/rear track 1638 /1599mm
Weight 1720kg
Boot capacity 114 litres
Fuel/capacity 98 octane/80 litres
Fuel consumption 15.7L/100km (As tested)
Suspension Front:double A-arms, coil springs,
adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear:double A-arms, coil springs,
adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar
Steering electric rack-and-pinion
Turning Circle 11.8m(3.1turnslock-to-lock)
Front brakes ventilated discs (365mm)
Rear brakes ventilated discs (356mm)
Tyres Continental ContiSportContact 6
Tyre size 245/30ZR20 (f), 305/30ZR20 (r)
Safety
NCAP rating Not testedFERRARI 488 SPIDER
$526,888/Tested$665,033**V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo
midengine(north-south),reardrive
3902cc
492kW@8000rpm
760Nm@3000rpm
7-speed dual clutchsteel/aluminium, 2 doors, 2 seats
4568/1952/1211/2650mm
1679 /1647mm
1525kg
230 litres
98 octane/78 litres
16.0L/100km (As tested)
Front:double A-arms, coil springs,
adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear:multi-links, coil springs,
adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar
electric rack-and-pinion
11.8m(1.9turnslock-to-lock)
ventilated discs (398mm)
solid discs (360mm)
Pirelli PZero
245/35ZR20 (f), 305/30ZR20 (r)Not tested
MERC-AMG GT ROADSTER
$283,711/Tested$314,361**V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo
front engine (north-south), rear drive
3982cc
350kW @ 6000rpm
630Nm@1700-5000rpm
7-speed dual clutchsteel/aluminium, 2 doors, 2 seats
4544/2075/1259/2630mm
1684/1651mm
1670kg
165 litres
98 octane/65 litres
15.2L/100km (As tested)
Front:struts, A-arms, passive
dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear:multi-links, coil springs,
passivedampers,anti-rollbar
electric rack-and-pinion
11.5m(2.3turnslock-to-lock)
ventilated discs (390mm)
ventilated discs (360mm)
Continental ContiSportContact 5P
255/35R19 (f), 295/35R20 (r)Not tested
Power-to-weight: 323kW per tonne
Redline/cut-out: 7800/8000rpm
Speed at indicated 100km/h: 97
Speed in gears
7 7km/h@7800rpm
109km/h@7800rpm
146km/h@7800rpm
185km/h@7800rpm
232km/h@7800rpm
284km/h@7800rpm
325km/h@5770rpm*
Standing-start acceleration
0-20km/h:0.7sec
0-40km/h:1.4sec
0-60km/h:2.0sec
0-80km/h:2.5sec
0-100km/h:3.4sec
0-120km/h:5.0sec
0-140km/h:6.1sec
0-160km/h:7. 5 s e c
0-180km/h:8.9sec
0-200km/h:10.9sec
0-400m:11.6sec @ 207.6km/h
Rolling acceleration: Drive
30 -7Okm /h :1.3sec
80-12Okm/h:1.9sec
Braking distance
10Okm /h-0 :31.8mPerformance
Power-to-weight: 231kW per tonne
Redline/cut-out: 8500/8500rpm
Speedatindicated100km/h:98
Speed in gears
97km/h@8500rpm
117km/h@8500rpm
154km/h@8500rpm
244km/h@8500rpm
309km/h @ 8500rpm
318km/h @ 7500rpm*
318km/h @ 6150rpm*
Standing-start acceleration
0-20km/h:0.6sec
0-40km/h:1.2sec
0-60km/h:2.0sec
0-80km/h:2.7sec
0-100km/h:3.7sec
0-120km/h:4.7sec
0-140km/h:6.1sec
0-160km/h:7.7s e c
0-180km/h:9.5sec
0-200km/h:11.7sec
0-400m:[email protected]/h
Rolling acceleration: Drive
30-7Okm/h:1.6sec
80-12Okm/h:2.1sec
Braking distance
10Okm /h-0 :not testedPower-to-weight: 210kW per tonne
Redline/cut-out: 7000/7000rpm
Speedatindicated100km/h:97
Speed in gears
73km/h @ 7000rpm
113km/h@7000rpm
152km/h@7000rpm
192km/h@7000rpm
241km/h@7000rpm
295km/h@7000rpm
302km/h@5400rpm*
Standing-start acceleration
0-20km/h:0.7sec
0-40km/h:1.5sec
0-60km/h:2.1sec
0-80km/h:2.7sec
0-100km/h:3.8sec
0-120km/h:5.6sec
0-140km/h:6.9sec
0-160km/h:8.6sec
0-180km/h:10.5sec
0-200km/h:12.4sec
0-400m:[email protected]/h
Rollingacceleration: Drive
30-7Okm/h:1.6sec
80-12Okm/h:2.2sec
Braking distance
10Okm /h-0 :not tested1 2 3 4 5 6 78.5/ 10
Pace;composure;airycabin;
useability;smartroof;driveraids
Lacks ultimate top-end frisson;
chassis rigidity; price
Track : Sydney Dragw ay, dr y.
Temp: 38ºC. Driver: James Whitbourn.
Warranty: 3yr/unlimited km.
Serviceinterval:12months/20,000km.
Glass’s 3-year resale: N/A
AAMI Insurance: not available
*Speedlimited.
** Includes Leather/Alcantara trim ($8350),
passenger display ($7350), premium hi-fi
($10,450),frontsuspensionlifter($8900),20in
forgedalloywheels($10,500)andotheroptions.Verdict 8.0/ 10
Soundtrack; build quality; traction;
versatility; exotic/accessible blend
Can look ungainly; headroom;
packaging; surprisingly heavy
Track : Sydney Dragw ay, dr y.
Temp: 38ºC. Driver: James Whitbourn.
Warranty: 3yr/unlimited km.
Service interval: 12 months/15,000km.
Glass’s 3-year resale: 53%
AAMI Insurance: not available
*Speedlimited.
** Includes fine Nappa leather ($1150), LED
headlightswithAudilaserlightandreardynamic
indicators ($7700), 19in 5-twin spoke forged
aluminium wheels (NCO) and cosmetic options.8.0/ 10
Gutsy V8; torsional rigidity; value;
handling; transmission logic
Rear visibility; gear shifter
location; slot-like windscreen
Track: Sydney Dragway, dry.
Temp: 38ºC. Driver: James Whitbourn.
Warranty: 3yr/unlimited km.
Service interval: 12 months/20,000km.
Glass’s 3-year resale: 67%.
AAMI Insurance: not available
* Speed limited.
** Includes Nappa leather ($9900), climate
controlled seats ($2450), Mercedes Airscarf
($1700), AMG performance seats ($3900), 19 and
20in alloys ($4000) and other options.