By: Double Apex
Customer racing is big business for some brands. Porsche, Audi, Peugeot and a few others have made profitable businesses from building race cars for well-heeled clients.
A few automakers have worked out that there are some extremely wealthy folks who want race cars, but not to actually go racing. That’s where cars such as the recently unveiled Mercedes-AMG GT2 Pro come in.
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Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport said, “We are very proud to have achieved the next milestone in the customer sports segment with the Mercedes-AMG GT2 PRO.
“Demand for pure track day cars has increased significantly, so therefore, we also respond to the expansion of the derivatisation in the track day and club sport segment at the same time. The GT2 PRO is exceptionally agile, allowing the fascination of racing to be experienced enormously, both for amateurs and professionals.”
The Mercedes-AMG GT2 Pro is based on the race-bred GT2 (which you can read about at this link). However, the Pro is a non-homologated car that was created especially for track days. It has all the good bits from the GT2 racer, and then some. Interestingly, the GT2 Pro can be converted to race in the SRO GT2 series, should owners wish to try out a round or two.
Under that vented bonnet is an extreme version of AMG’s twin-turbocharged V8 engine. In this car the 4.0-litre unit pumps out 551kW of power with the new Push2Pass function. In ‘normal’ running it delivers 520 kW.
A six-speed sequential gearbox sends power exclusively to the rear axle. Thankfully there is a motorsport-derived multi-stage traction control system to keep all that power in check.
Other bits borrowed from racing include a safety cell, steering wheel, four-way adjustable dampers safety nets and fire-extinguisher system. The cabin also has includes air-conditioning so drivers can remain cool in the race gear. Speaking of which…
AMG has partnered with Puma to provide all buyers of the GT2 Pro with custom race gear. The kit includes an individualised race suit, gloves, competition underwear, shoes and a BELL helmet in Mercedes-AMG GT2 Pro design – NICE! Oh, and the price for the GT2 Pro and all that lovely kit is a shade under R9.5m, and that’s before you try to import it into SA.
Story courtesy of Double Apex