Matthew DeBord/Insider
The Mercedes-AMG GT R roadster genuinely borders on being too much car for the money, even with its lofty price tag. Ponder its use case: a fabulously well-appointed luxury two-seater with a ragtop and massive rear wing that's eager to hit the track and anxious to surge forward in a loud and fiery straight line. You could deny the "roadster" tag and call it a German muscle car, or you could suggest comparisons with something like the outgoing, front-engine Chevy Corvette (far less expensive) or the Porsche GT3 (more of a price peer), but you wouldn't be making any progress.
Cars like this are sui generis. They are few, and they are special. And they take nothing for granted. The use case is to blow your mind, plain and simple.
The GT R roadster does it with an impeccable yet somehow still rather terrifying blend of retro style, over-the-top design cues, a sumptuous interior, and a motor stolen from the gods — then takes it to a new level of sensory overload with the convertible configuration.
Such delights usually come at a price — but on balance, the GT R roadster's isn't as staggeringly elevated as it could be. Much like the AMG GT C I tested a while back, sticker shock becomes less shocking when you think about.
"So, is the AMG GT C worth almost $170,000?" I asked in my review. The answer: "It most definitely is. In fact, it might be a bargain — this much car, this much style, this much engineering? Just gazing upon it, I'd say $200,000, easy."
Ditto the AMG GT R roadster. You're just getting so, so, so much car, and it's tuned for the track while still being scads of fun on the public roads. Beware, of course, that the ride is ... shall we say, "crisp"? This is the critical compromise, and one should be clued in by the way the seats are configured to accommodate a racing harness.
Consequently, the AMG GT R is less of a proper grand tourer. It wants a lot of throttle in corners. It wants a lot of throttle in a straight line. Heck, it just wants a lot of throttle all the time.
Long-range motoring is potentially on the agenda, but there are better options. The comparison here really is to the Corvette, namely the Z06, which actually tops the AMG GT R's horsepower output by a wide margin. I have taken trips of some 200 miles in the Z06; not the ideal platform. Likewise the GT R. To be honest, another GT-R — Nissan's Godzilla — is the comfier customer.
Ultimately, the Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster is a reward for something: a life well lived, a company sold, freedom from college tuition, a move toward a thoroughly impractical retirement. You also know what you're getting into, just by raising to hood or contemplating that big ole rear wing. And while the price tag is humongous, it's really a lot less than it could be.
Weird, isn't it, that you have to push the envelope this far to find a value that's so compelling?
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