90 WheelsMag.com.au
GT-more
Even more versions of the AMG GT
are coming, Tobias Moers told us. He
confirmed that a convertible version
and a GT4 racing car will arrive in the
coming months.
Also in the pipeline is a Black Series
version, meaning the GT R will soon be
usurped as the pinnacle of track-honed
performance in the range. Moers won’t
be drawn on exactly how the Black
SiSeries will move the game on from theill th f th
GT R,butadmitteditwillhavemore
power – there’s easily another 20kW to
befoundinthe
4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 – and less weight.
“We have saved some things for the
Black Series,” he said with a grin. “It will
be somethinggpspecial.”
Maybe it’s the slightly mad nature of the cars it
produces, but I’ve always visualised the AMG
factory as something designed by a high-tech Bond
villain. Like an Apple store built into the side of a
volcano. Or hidden beneath the earth’s crust.
The reality is only slightly less cool.
Nestled in the rolling hills of the German
countryside northeast of Stuttgart, it’s a sprawling
complex of silver buildings occupied by 1500
employees – double the number that AMG
employed just a decade ago.
Despite the growing workforce, the AMG factory
never feels rushed. Unlike other plants designed for
volume, there’s a sense of craftsmanship and care.
Workers move slowly and methodically, especially
in the engine plant, where each unit is hand-built
by a single technician.
Each V8 takes 3.5 hours to build, V12s take five.
Not surprisingly it’s the racing engines and Pagani
V12s that receive the most attention. Only two
mechanics in all of AMG are permitted to work on
these engines, each of which take two and a half
days to assemble.
Another highlight is the Performance Studio,
where AMG customers can spec anything from
custom paint jobs to bespoke interiors.
Then there’s HWA, which builds and maintains
AMG’s racing cars, past and present. On our visit,
the workshop included everything from GT3 racers
to a CLK LM that raced at Le Mans in 1998.