Mercedes-AMG’s hulking track monster proves racing really does improve the breed.

WHAT IS IT? A visual punch in the face, that’s what. AMGs have always sat at the angry end of the design spectrum, but the GT R’s wider and lower bodywork takes the eyeball assault to the next level. As it should too, given the R is the hardest, fastest and most track-focused variant yet in the rapidly expanding AMG GT family. It’s also a rival for the mighty Porsche 911 GT3 RS, so it carries big expectations.

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THE WHEELS VERDICT It was almost guaranteed that the GT R would deliver pulverising acceleration, greater agility and a brilliant V8 soundtrack, but while its on-track performance shows the R has the talent to rival the 911 GT3 RS, the biggest surprise is how much more engaging and capable it is as a road car.

PLUS: Grip; speed; balance; approachable limits; ride; noise MINUS: Cabin ergonomics and space; rear visibility

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I’m in Portugal, at the rather daunting Portimao circuit and the GT R’s narrow windscreen is being peppered with small rubber bullets, shot from the back of another GT R 10 metres up the road. It’s driven by AMG hot-shoe Bernd Schneider, and his wide green rump kicks and bucks as we slipstream down the long straight, the track’s peppered surface bumpy enough to have the traction control light blinking at 246km/h.

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In the rapidly expanding AMG GT family, the R is the most track-focused and the most hardcore. It’s also infused with the most technology, thanks to a bunch of AMG firsts like active aerodynamics (designed to suck the car into the road at speed), four-wheel steering and a 9-stage traction control system, nicked from AMG’s GT3 race car.

Power comes from the same dry-sumped 4.0-litre V8 as the GT S, though new turbochargers, more boost (up from 1.2bar to 1.35) and a revised cylinder head sees outputs jump by 55kW/50Nm to 430kW/700Nm.

There’s a lighter dual-mass fly wheel too, and a redesigned active exhaust system now partially made from titanium to save 6kg.

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The result is ‘push you back in the seat’ levels of grunt (0-100km/h is a claimed 3.6sec) but it’s not the straight-line shove that dominates the on-track experience. It’s the grip.

Track widths have grown front and rear, 7 and 57mm respectively, and the suspension is heavily revised, the regular GT’s set-up replaced with a more sophisticated, lightweight arrangement comprising double wishbones all-round, with adjustable coil-overs and three-stage adaptive dampers.

There’s a larger contact patch than before too, with lighter, forged alloy wheels shod with sticky Michelin Pilot Spot Cup 2 rubber measuring 275/35R19 up front and 325/30R20 out back.

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The steering’s better too courtesy of a faster variable rack, which combined with the wider track, has enhanced turn in response and front-axle feel. It’s still not oozing with communication, bit it’s certainly clearer in its feedback than the GT S, and the weighting is nicer in all four driving modes (Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race).

And have I mentioned the noise? I doubt there’s a better-sounding turbocharged V8 in existence. Full throttle upshifts are hammered home with a deep V8 crack, and while the gearbox isn’t quite as fast or intuitive as Porsche’s PDK unit, downshifts deliver a wet gurgle on the overrun that sound as though the engine is gargling chainsaws. It’s brilliant.

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Where the GT R surprises most, though, isn’t on the track, but on bumpy Portuguese roads. Given its performance bent, and the brutal, brittle ride of the GT S, I was expecting the GT R to be bone-jarringly firm, yet this is the best-riding GT to date. Even in Sport +, which was previously reserved only for the smoothest surfaces, the GT R has a compliance lacking in its lesser siblings. It allows you to exploit all of that extra grunt and grip without the worry of being bounced off the road, and is the key to the GT R’s appeal. As fast, entertaining and exciting as it is on a circuit, the GT R’s greatest achievement is how it performs in the real world. It has a polish, a sense of confidence and a multi-faceted level of ability lacking in any member of the GT family. It is, quite simply, the most complete AMG yet.

SPECS Model: Mercedes-AMG GT R Engine: 3982cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power: 430kW @ 6250rpm Max torque: 700Nm @ 1900-5500rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch Kerb weight: 1555kg 0-100km/h: 3.6sec (claimed) Fuel economy: 11.4L/100km (EU) Price: $360,000 (est) On sale: Q2 2017