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The Citizen
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mercedes-AMG GT63 knocks Porsche 911 GT2 RS from its perch
600kW beast from Affalterbach clocks a new 0-100km/h record time of 2.76 seconds. A plan was hatched. A team of the best of the best from the AMG Driving Academy, three half-decent driver/journalists, and an invaluable backup crew were going to invade Knysna with the latest in high performance Mercedes-AMG toys to attack the Simola Hillclimb with one goal in mind. Bring home the standard production road car, 2025 King of the Hill, title. Nothing less than a win would do. And win they did, the fastest standard production road car up the hill this year was none other than AMG Driving Academy boss, Clint Weston, in the new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe. But the team from Mercedes-Benz South Africa were not done. They were looking for more silverware for their trophy cabinet. One call later and the car that was fastest up the hill was on its way to Gerotek to see if it could become the fastest standard production road car The Citizen Motoring has ever tested in a straight line. Gunning for Porsche's crown To earn this title, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe, would have to better Porsche's 911 GT2 RS' record-breaking run of 2.85 seconds to 100km/h that was achieved in 2021. A quick technical refresher. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS weighs in at only 1 470kg, and produces a crazy 515kW and 750Nm from its 3.8-litre flat six, bi-turbo set-up. This means this out and out super car has a mental power-to-weight ratio of 350kW per ton. ALSO READ: Eight-cylinders return as Mercedes-AMG prices long awaited SL 63 Producing a combined 600kW of power and 1 420Nm of torque from its 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo engine that is coupled to an AMG Electric Drive Unit, the claimed 0-100km/h number for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe is listed as 2.8 seconds. And no Affalterbach series model has ever gone that quick before. Only one other car tested by our publication in over 25-years of road testing has gone under the three-second mark. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance 4-Door ran a time of 2.96 seconds. Ready to roll. Picture: Mark Jones Acid test for Mercedes-AMG GT63 Despite being down 20kW and 50Nm, the Coupe derivative has lost two doors and 185kg of weight over its four-door sibling. The team from Mercedes-Benz South Africa were confident their new car could get the job done. But the first issue to contend with is that this AMG GT 63 Coupe still comes off the scales an almost incomprehensible 725kg heavier than the GT2 RS. But talk and claims are cheap, it's what happens on the day that counts. Driving the car out to Gerotek left me in no doubt that this GT 63 S E Performance Coupe was the real deal and had a proper chance of bettering the 911 GT2 RS. But even though I have been doing this a very long time, there is no way I could off the cuff say that the Merc was going to be quicker than the Porsche. 2.85-seconds to 100km/h is seriously fast. With anticipation building, the Racelogic VBOX test equipment was loaded into the car and it was time to head down to the start line. ALSO READ: VIDEO: New Mercedes-AMG C63 pips BMW M3 on the drag strip Getting down to business Race Start activated, foot on the brake, mash the accelerator pedal, and let go. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupe bolts off the line like its tail has just been stood on. Shrubbery, grass and tar merge into a blur as the speedo goes past 270km/h before I get on the carbon ceramic brakes at the 800m mark. Heart pounding, adrenalin rushing, the VBOX readout shows 2.86 seconds. We haven't done it. It goes a bit quiet, we know we will do more runs. But all these super high-performance cars get hot under the hood quickly, and the numbers can go the other way. Is it over? Back down to the start I go. Cut and paste the start procedure. Back on the brakes at the end. And as I roll into the pit area. It goes off like a cracker, we have a number of 2.84 seconds on the VBOX. It is done. The GT 63 S E Performance Coupe has just become the fastest standard production road car we have ever tested. Albeit by a whisker. But a whisker is all that is needed for the record books. ALSO READ: Learjet for the road Mercedes-AMG S63 shocks-up a luxury storm Point proven Obviously, we wanted to back this up, the Porsche did, so it was back down to the start again where things only got better as the tyres warmed up a little with all this winter cold around. A 2.82-second run was next, then a 2.78 and then 2.76. Were we going to see the records continue to tumble? There is a new boss in time. Picture: Mark Jones The short answer was no. The temps under the bonnet were now coming into play and the times started going back up. But I kid you not, the car did five runs in a row after this at 2.84-seconds. And that's when we decided we had proved our point. We were tempting fate by barrelling into the braking zone over and over again at 270km/h. So, there you have it, the GT 63 S E Performance Coupe is the fastest standard production we have tested. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS does come back at it as we head further down the long straight at Gerotek, and it remains a do-or-die battle right till the end, but there can only be one King. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 tests data
Auto Car
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Porsche 911 GT2 RS poised for searing 750bhp comeback
Screaming flat six receives a hybrid boost as hottest 911 chases Nürburgring supremacy Open gallery Close Porsche is gearing up to launch what insiders at its Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany describe as the most extreme and technically advanced 911 yet: the fifth-generation GT2 RS. Set to go on sale in the UK in 2026, the new range-topping 911 is being developed to stretch the limits of what's possible in a road-legal Porsche, with a heavily re-engineered, twin-turbocharged version of the company's signature flat-six petrol engine paired with an electric motor in a hybrid system derived from the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid. One important goal of the hottest 911 is to restore Porsche's supremacy at the Nürburgring, where prototypes are now lapping in anger as a full unveiling approaches. New spy shots confirm the forthcoming 911 GT2 RS will be as visually aggressive as it is technically ambitious. Except for the doors, every body panel is unique to the car. Up front, a new bumper and clamshell-style bonnet incorporate additional air ducts to improve cooling for the front-mounted radiators and reduce turbulence within the front wheel arches. Those wheel arches are significantly wider than on other 911s, housing broader tracks front and rear and lightweight centre-lock wheels. At the back, a massive fixed wing dominates but a largely hidden exhaust system is also visible. Patent filings suggest Porsche has developed a new exhaust set-up for performance versions of the 911 that doubles as an aerodynamic device, combining the rear silencer and diffuser into a single integrated unit. Whether it makes it into the production on the 911 GT2 remains to be seen. Inside, the new 911 GT2 is expected to adopt a fully digital instrument panel for the first time while still offering a high degree of personalisation for track-focused buyers. Lightweight materials, limited sound insulation, minimalist trim and an optional roll cage will keep the focus on performance. According to Autocar sources, early prototype versions of the 911 GT2 RS's engine achieved four-figure outputs on the test bench – albeit in development trim. The strongest indication of Porsche's hybrid direction comes from the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid, which combines a 3.6-litre flat six with a single electric turbocharger and a gearbox-mounted electric motor for a total of 534bhp. That car effectively previews the hybrid technology that will be deployed across the facelifted 992-series 911 line-up, including the upcoming 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S. The 911 GT2 and even more extreme 911 GT2 RS will use a similar formula, but with an even greater output. The exact capacity of the 911 GT2 RS's engine remains under wraps, though it is claimed to be paired with a hybrid system incorporating two electric turbochargers and a higher-output electric motor than that used by the 911 GTS T-Hybrid. Power output is expected to reach at least 750bhp, potentially more, depending on weight, cooling and thermal efficiency. Torque, meanwhile, looks set to exceed the 590lb ft of the latest 911 Turbo S. For comparison, the previous-generation 991-series 911 GT2 RS developed 690bhp and 553lb ft from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six engine. The switch to petrol-electric hybrid power promises to increase weight beyond the previous 911 GT2 RS's 1470kg. The 911 GTS T-Hybrid adds around 60kg and the new 911 GT2 RS is likely to carry more still, despite forgoing plug-in charging hardware. As with its predecessor, though, buyers are expected to be offered a Weissach performance package with Perspex windows, reduced sound insulation and other lightweight measures. As tradition dictates, production will be limited, and Porsche has already confirmed that 'low-volume, high-emotion derivatives' will continue to play a central role in the 911 line-up. Pricing is expected to exceed that of the outgoing model – which started at around £200,000 – with optional performance features such as the Weissach package pushing it even higher. No 911 GT2 RS launch would be complete without Nürburgring ambitions. The previous generation, fettled by Manthey Racing, posted an official 6min 43sec lap time. The current Nürburgring production car record, however, is held by the Mercedes-AMG One with a time of 6min 23sec. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Beats McLaren Senna in Ayrton's Hometown
Situated on the southern outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Interlagos Circuit is part of motorsports history; it's home to Formula 1's Brazilian Grand Prix since 1973, Interlagos has been home turf for pillars of F1 history such as Nelson Piquet. The road car record belongs to Brazilian driver Ricardo Mauricio, but while he previously held the production car lap record of 1:37.856 with the very appropriate choice of McLaren's aptly named Senna supercar, he and Porsche now have that crown. The recognition must be split with Porsche's aerodynamic partners at Manthey, however. Using a private 991-generation 911 GT2 RS fitted with a Manthey aero kit, Mauricio has set a lap record of 1:36.967, just under a full second faster. The 2.67-mile track runs counterclockwise and features a number of high-speed braking zones, with onboard footage from the record-breaking lap showing a top speed of 166 mph into at least two different braking zones. The point-of-view video is reminiscent of everyone's favorite Nürburgring Nordschleife video showing Stephan Rozer barely holding onto a RUF Yellowbird in 1987, as Mauricio exits nearly every bend with a degree of opposite-lock dialed in. The flyer that garnered the new record also appears to have been on an early try, as the VBOX data overlayed into the corner of the video shows Mauricio's previous best lap on the track as a mere 1:55:46. "Another record for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Racing performance kit from Stuttgart! With this brand, the 911 GT2 RS becomes the fastest original street car on the São Paulo racetrack, surpassing the previous best brand by almost a second," a release from Porsche says, carefully avoiding mentioning their rivals from Woking. This is not the first lap record Porsche and Manthey have collaborated on; a Manthey 991-generation 911 GT2 RS set a Nürburgring record in 2018 with Lars Kern at the wheel. Meanwhile, the regular GT2 RS even managed to snag a Road Atlanta record in 2019. It's unclear if any other manufacturers are set to compete with this new Brazilian lap record, but we wouldn't be totally surprised if it stands for some time. Considering this GT2 RS was a private-owner entry, it appears the automakers aren't investing their own money in making a lap record happen at Interlagos. Even so, McLaren has the firepower to strike back at Porsche. We'll see if they choose to go on the offensive. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
