Mercedes-AMG GTC Roadster

FIRST UK DRIVE Top-spec version of new drop-top supercar hits British roads.

- Richard Ingram

FOR decades, if you were after a high-performance super coupé, the default answer was the Porsche 911. However, in 2014 Mercedes entered the fray with the excellent AMG GT.

Then earlier this year, mimicking Porsche’s template once again, Mercedes lopped the roof off its two-door to create the AMG GT Roadster. The result is an achingly beautiful and long-bonneted drop-top that would challenge even the most exclusive six-figure supercars for outright kerb appeal.

We first drove the Roadster in the US in March (Issue 1,466), awarding it a coveted five-star verdict. But now we’ve got the more powerful £139,460 GT C back in Britain to see how it fares on our notoriously broken roads – a stern test for any car, especially a high-performance cabriolet.

Two models are available from launch: an entry-level 469bhp GT Roadster, and this more expensive and altogether more ferocious 549bhp GT C version. Mercedes says the C sits part way between the standard cars and the flagship, coupé-only GT R, and it offers drivers who want more precision a less hardcore set-up than you’ll find on the brutal range-topper.