In danger of sounding like a broken record, Mercedes-AMG has broken another record to prove that it has the fastest super saloon in the world. And the car that they’ve done it with this time is the 2021 GT 63 S 4MATIC+.
Previously, the GT 63 S set a then-luxury production car record for the Nurburgring back in 2018, with a time of seven minutes 30.11 seconds. However, Porsche turned up earlier this year with the 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S and beat the GT 63 S by the narrowest of margins, just three-tenths of a second, to claim the new record. This did not sit well with Mercedes and they immediately got to work tinkering and fettling with the new 2021 GT 63 S 4MATIC+ to retake its throne.
And just three months later, the boys from AMG were ready for round two and brought their A-game. Piloted by AMG development engineer Demian Schaffert, who also set the previous record in the GT 63 S, he skillfully navigated the 2021 GT 63 S 4MATIC+ around the longer 20.83km circuit in just seven minutes 27.8 seconds. The Mercedes blitz the Porsche’s time by over two seconds, a far more convincing performance this time around.
Taking no credit away from the driver’s skill, the real star was the GT 63 S 4MATIC+. With a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 producing 639hp, the big Mercedes sends power to all four wheels via the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system. Moreover, the GT 63 S 4MATIC+ comes with active rear-steering, an electronically controlled rear limited-slip differential, a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 tyres and the AMG agility pack to help this two-tonne behemoth tackle the 73 turns of the Nordschleife. The optional aero package fitted to the record-breaking car also played a role in increasing high-speed stability on fast turns and long straights.
“Even though I’ve been accompanying our GT 63 through its development for several years now, it’s always impressive to see the widespread we have been able to achieve with this exclusive vehicle.” said Schaffert. “On the one hand, the four-door coupé is comfortable and equipped with many intelligent safety features for everyday driving, and on the other hand it offers this extremely high level of driving dynamics and precision, which we have now been able to demonstrate once again on the demanding Nordschleife,” he adds.
While the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door already has an impressive line-up with five models, with this GT 63 S 4MATIC+ being the range-topper, Mercedes have already indicated a much more powerful ‘73’ variant shortly with a hybrid powertrain with over 800hp…yikes! Moreover, with the GT 63 S 4MATIC+ coupe sibling, the AMG GT Black Series taking the title of the fastest production car around the Nurburgring on the same day, Mercedes shows the world that they are indeed the new performance benchmark.