As one of the most respected motoring journalists in the world, Chris Harris was recently invited for a ride in the Mercedes AMG GT with the company’s boss Tobias Moers. Chris only got to ride shotgun, but that was enough for him to deduce AMG’s latest toy is a proper 911 rival.

The first fact Harris unearths about Mercedes AMG GT is that it comes in two flavors from the get-go. There will be a 460 horsepower base version, and a 510 horsepower S model. This way the GT can challenge both the Carrera and Carrera S.

The AMG GT share about 40 percent of its structural parts with the SLS. The transmission too comes directly from the big fella, but important parts like the engine and the axles are new. Speaking of the engine, according to Chris the twin-turbo 4.0 liter V8 engine, known internally as the ‘hot V’, is not as sharp and sweet as the old 6.2 M156 naturally-aspirated V8, but then what is?

Fortunately, Mercedes AMG GT seems to have all the signature AMG factors that make their cars so wonderful, including the full-fat AMG soundtrack, huge speed, and the ability to do massive powerslides. The new boy is more of a sports car than the car is replaces, but it is too soon to tell if it can give Porsche 991 a good run for its money.

Via PistonHeads