These are the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster's biggest rivals

Mercedes will reveal the new AMG GT and GT C Roadsters at the Paris Motor Show, coming up at the end of September. It’s the GT C we’re more interested in, as it’s bestowed with a 549bhp 4.0-litre V8; an increase of 80bhp over the ‘standard’ GT Roadster, which also goes without the wider body of the GT C. With that power output, AMG has thrust its new convertible right in the middle of its rivals: the Jaguar F-Type SVR Roadster, Audi R8 Spyder, Porsche 911 Turbo cab and Aston Martin V12 Vantage Volante. 

Let battle commence...

Words: Ben Custard

The GT C concedes 18bhp to the Jaguar F-Type SVR Roadster and 24bhp to the ageing Aston Martin V12 Vantage Volante, but beats the 532bhp on offer in both the Audi R8 Spyder and Porsche 911 Turbo cabrio. A 17bhp increase sounds exactly like another move in the German horsepower civil war, but plans for a GT R roadster are unlikely due to the C using most of the same hardware as the GT R coupe. 

It’s bang in the middle of the group for torque figures, too: 502lb ft in the GT C isn’t as much as the F-Type and the 911 (516 and 523lb ft respectively), but it blows the Audi and the Aston into the weeds. 

Where the GT C can’t thump its chest is on a top-speed run. It’s only 5mph short of the 201mph Vantage, but sits at the bottom of this extremely close pack. The Jag will hit 200 on the dot, while the Audi and Porsche fall a couple of mph short.

Strangely, the GT C is also the second slowest to 60mph, taking 3.7 seconds and only beating the brawny Vantage by 0.2 seconds. The Audi and the Jag are tied on 3.5, while the lightweight 911 streaks ahead – it’ll do it in a scarcely believable 3.1 seconds.

The GT C will be one of the more expensive cars in this company, though. Prices are yet to be revealed, but expect it to be quite a bit more expensive than the £110,510 GT S Coupe. It shouldn’t be anywhere near the £149,495 that the V12 Vantage commands, but it’ll be some way north of the £115,485 Jaguar and the £113,138 Porsche. The R8 is the cheapest at £106,820. 

Your pick of the bunch?