MONSTROUS MAGNO MACHINE

You can tell a surprising amount about a car’s identity based on its manufacturer’s exterior body colour nomenclature. Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa, Giallo Modena, Tour De France Blu, and, best of all, Azzurro California, transport you to a world of refined culture, long sun-drenched lunches, and spirted drives along the coast. You just know the sort of environment a Ferrari is meant to occupy – its colour names almost always signal exclusivity, elegance, and a frisson of Italian passion.

Similarly, Rolls Royce’s Black Diamond, Salamanca Blue, and Purple Silk signify expensiveness, opulence, and unbounded luxury; they suggest a jet-set lifestyle enjoyed by a select few. Land Rover’s Carpathian Grey is named after a central European mountain range; Gondwana Stone a landmass which formed 550 million years ago – both reference a sense of invincibility, adventure and everlasting toughness, reflecting the spirit of the company’s models.

With this theory in mind, Mercedes’ chosen launch colour, “Green Hell Magno” for its track-focused AMG GTR informs us in crystal clear terms of its intent before a specification sheet has even turned a page. Any car which has “Hell” in its DNA is bound to be exciting. Named after Sir Jackie Stewart’s nickname for the nerve-wracking Nurburgring Nordschlife in the 1960s, the “Green Hell” is not a racing circuit for the faint hearted. So, we already know from this specific choice of name that the AMG GTR possesses a particularly devilish quality – walk up to it and you can’t help but be captivated by its wide, muscular stance. Its arresting deep, bright green matte paintwork demands your attention.

Some cars are beautiful. A Jaguar E Type or a Mercedes Pagoda are best thought of as traditional paintings in a grand palatial mansion, whereas the AMG GTR is more akin to a piece of modern art; radical, enchanting, and ground-breaking, but not necessarily beautiful. Inspired by an old Mercedes 300SL racing car, its huge, assertive Panamericana front grille leads the ‘form following function’ philosophy by allowing a copious volume of air to be sucked in quickly and efficiently.

An all-new carbon-constructed “active aerodynamics profile” makes the GTR incredibly agile by producing a “Venturi effect” which pushes the car to ground as it dives into high-speed corners. Trick double wishbone suspension, 9 stage traction control system, a “carbon tunnel brace”, high performance carbon composite braking system, and a new exhaust system with a lightweight titanium construction all combine to place the GTR near the top of the supercar tree.

Not all cars need to handle like fully-fledged racing cars. The Aston Martin DBS, Ferrari Portofino, and Bentley Continental GT manage to balance performance, comfort, and handling in an almost perfect unison. But for those who want their supercars to scare them once in a while, giving them a true taste of what it might be like to push a GT3 car around Le Mans or Spa Francorchamps at full chat, the AMG GTR serves up an unparalleled degree of excitement every single time you stab the start button.

See more details: