Mercedes-AMG GT 63 v Porsche 911 Turbo S – car pictures of the week

Mercedes-AMG’s second-generation GT sports car has arrived, and it’s gunning straight for the Porsche 911. It’s now a usable 2+2 coupe and more rounded than its predecessor in every respect, according to Mercedes, but is that enough to beat the ultimate do-it-all missile – the 911 Turbo S? 

In the latest issue of evo, we find out by pitting them against each other on spectacular roads on the Scottish Borders – you can read the full feature by picking up a copy of evo 324 in-store or online via the evo shop. 

The Turbo S is a daunting benchmark for the AMG. Few cars make such stratospheric performance so accessible, its flat-six channelling 641bhp through a four-wheel drive system and a pair of mammoth 21-inch, 315-section rear tyres. A rapid-fire eight-speed PDK gearbox means that all that potential is never more than a paddle-flick away. 

‘There is a somewhat old-school sense of the turbocharged elastic being stretched before the catapult is released and this is what sets the big-T Turbo apart from other little-t turbo 911s’, said Henry Catchpole. ‘It feels less sophisticated and (despite this car’s sports exhaust) sounds less appealing than the AMG, but there is something uniquely heady about its mighty, full throttle thump-squeeeeeze to the thorax.’

The GT 63 is significantly heavier than the 911 and down on power (577bhp), but Mercedes has applied a full suite of chassis electronics to harness its potential to the full. A 4Matic+ four-wheel drive system, adaptive twin-valve dampers and an interlinked hydraulic Active Ride Control system give it excellent control and agility, and its front-mounted 4-litre twin-turbo V8 gives it a completely different character to the Porsche. 

Pick up a copy of evo 324 to find out which is the more rewarding everyday sports car.