The new set of testing pictures of the upcoming GT four-door model in disguised form have been released by Mercedes-AMG, ahead of the car’s full reveal at the Geneva motor show in March.
The official images follow previous spy pictures of a car wearing a fixed rear wing. That suggests that the 'standard' GT four-door will soon be followed by a more focused model that has extra power and produces higher levels of downforce to rival the market's very fastest four-doors.
Fixed rear wings are normally reserved for AMG's most extreme models, such as Black Series or R variants. At this stage it appears the latter is more likely to be used on the GT four-door, so as not to steal the limelight from the upcoming Black Series version of the regular two-door GT.
AMG's decision to start development on a hotter GT four-door even before the regular car is revealed comes as part of its new product plan to launch variants sooner into each model's life cycle.
Previewed by the GT concept of 2017, the AMG GT four-door models will come with a range of EQ Power-branded petrol-electric hybrid drivelines featuring differing battery capacities, outputs and electric ranges.
The new Mercedes-AMG model has been conceived as an upmarket replacement for today’s CLS 63 and a rival to the Porsche Panamera. Sales for the production model are scheduled to begin in September 2018.
The car will be launched with the same 612hp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8, nine-speed automatic gearbox and fully variable four-wheel drive system as the latest E63 S 4Matic, upon which it is largely based.
Mercedes officials have said there are also concrete plans for it to be sold with hybrid drivelines from 2019 onwards – suggesting the spotted harder version could arrive as part of that line-up.
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