Next-Generation Mercedes-AMG GT Spied Looking Like an SL Coupe

A dealer source reached out to Car and Driver and clarified that the next generation AMG GT will feature the 2+2 layout with small rear seats found in the SL. The source claims they saw the vehicle at a product forum, and that Mercedes-Benz is “focusing in on the 911 even more with the new generation.”

While the ludicrous Black Series and its towering wing represented the end of the line for the first-generation Mercedes-AMG GT, the German sports car won’t be gone for long. New spy photos reveal the second-generation model testing in Europe. While the body shares much of its design with the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL, Mercedes has promised that the GT will remain differentiated from the convert ible grand tourer despite the SL join ing the AMG subbrand for its latest iteration.

Two GT prototypes were spotted testing—the yellow-roofed example appears to be the base GT53 while the white prototype is the more powerful GT63. The more powerful 63 features trapezoidal exhaust pipes versus the round units on the 53. The overall body of the GT looks similar to that of the SL, but the sharply angled are slightly reshaped while the taillights appear more rectangular than the SL’s triangular units. The GT will be powered by the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 as the SL, with power outputs likely to be similar to the SL55’s 469 horsepower and the SL63’s 577 hp.

The next AMG GT will ride on the same platform as the SL and is expected to come only as a hardtop coupe, with the SL taking over softtop convert ible duties (Mercedes no longer offers a hardtop convert ible). Although the SL is now offered only as an AMG model, it will remain more of a grand tourer. The GT will be more hardcore, with design chief Gordon Wagener telling Road and Track last year that “the GT of course obviously is more of a race car or sports car.” The GT is expected to ditch the SL’s small rear seats, and will also likely weigh less without the power-operated soft top.

Wagener also said that the GT's interior will be distinct, describing the SL as “a digital roadster…with all the electronic features, driving assistance systems, which the GT doesn’t have because it is a pure driving car.” It’s unclear if the next-generation GT will continue to eschew driver-assistance systems like its predecessor. The next GT will likely debut by the end of the 2022 for the 2023 model year.