TG24: Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro: what’s changed over a standard GT R?

And there we were thinking the AMG GT R was as hardcore as AMG’s supercar got. Not even close, it transpires. The GT R Pro closes the gap between road cars and AMG GT3 and GT4 race cars to a previously unfathomable level.

And it’s not just for show. Its blistering 7 minutes 4.6 seconds lap of the Green Hell is six seconds faster than the GT R’s best effort. But such margins don’t come for free. You’ll pay an extra £38,750 for the Pro treatment, but what exactly does that princely sum buy you? Get clicking to find out.

Want to know exactly how far off the pace you are? This is the car for you. A new, enhanced, Track Pace function can record your every move/mistake (delete as appropriate) on track, including lap and sector times, shown in green or red, so you can see at a glance whether you’re on for a personal best. Numbers for 0-62mph, quarter miles and braking are also available. It can even detect when you’ve left the circuit, although the front bumper hanging off will probably be the biggest clue there.

Screens for dials, screens in the middle of the dash… trust Mercedes to find a way to bring more TFT into your life. First seen on the AMG GT 4dr coupe, the entire updated GT family gets a 12.3-inch cluster and a 10.25 central display. It also gets tiny colour displays on the centre console buttons for transmission, chassis, ESP, exhaust, rear spoilers and start/stop. You’ll find another couple on the steering wheel, too, because why have a dial when you can have a screen!

Standard equipment, of course, includes four-point safety harnesses for driver and passenger that make you look the part, but are infuriating in the supermarket car park. Fortunately you can just use the inertia reel belt if you prefer. A full steel roll cage provides a mounting point for the harnesses, stiffens the car further and might save your head if a corner doesn’t go quite as you planned. A 2kg fire extinguisher finishes off the track/crash ready pack.

The GT R gets adjustable coil-over suspension, but the Pro takes things to an even nerdier level. Not only can you set the spring pre-load length mechanically, you can also adjust the compression and rebound of the dampers. No spanner required, just click the dial mounted on the dampers themselves. But why stop there? Both the front (carbon-fibre) and rear (hollow tube steel) anti-roll bars can be dialled in to your personal preferences, too.

Here comes the carbon. AMG bucket seats are made of clear-coat carbon fibre and are a lot more comfortable than they sound. The standard carbon package adds a carbon fibre roof, with a slightly lower CoG, carbon front splitter and winglets and a carbon diffuser. Basically Parisienne-style touch parking is probably a no-go.

What do you mean you don’t know what these are? Let us, by definitely not just reading from the press release, explain. “The AMG GT R is already fitted with Uniball spherical bearings at the lower wishbones of the rear axle. The AMG GT R PRO now gets these bearings also for the upper wishbones. They are significantly more wear-resistant than conventional wishbone bearings and due to their design have no play, which means toe-in and camber do not change even under high loads. As a result, the AMG GT R PRO can be driven with even more precision,” says the press release.

For £188,345 you’d expect your electronically controlled dynamic engine and transmission mounts to be retuned, right? Well done Mercedes for leaving no stone unturned and “further increasing the agility and high-precision response and clear feedback.” We noticed the difference immediately.

The front splitter – extended forward and held by metal braces, because motor sport – redefines the front ends. As do small winglets ahead of the front wheel and a larger one behind the rear wheel – both designed to reduce lift without increasing drag. Louvres in the top of the front wheel arch aren’t just to keep up with the Porsche GT3 RS… they release pressure in the front arch, reduce front-axle lift and look bad-ass.

Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard fit, natch, as they are on the GT R, but for the Pro you get… wait for it… callipers painted black. Great. The lightweight AMG Performance 5-spoke forged wheels are carried over, too, but painted titanium grey here, with a shiny ‘rim flange’ (oo-er).

The wing is actually no bigger than a GT R’s (AMG is saving the full whale tail treatment for the AMG GT Black Series next year) but it does get a gurney lip on the trailing edge which increases downforce, apparently. Milled-aluminium brackets, instead of body-coloured supports on the GT R, “underscore the proximity to motor racing.” And also cost more to make.

AMG makes no claims about the performance benefits of the Pro’s stripes, but we all know they’re worth an extra 15bhp. Minimum. Running over the bonnet roof and boot, they’re green if you go for the ‘selenite grey’ paint. Or matte dark grey on any other paint job.