Man Maths: Mercedes-AMG GT

That was when the penny dropped – this AMG wasn’t like all those overpowered sledgehammers that had come before it. It was a true sports car, not a bruising thug like we all imagined. Which is how the Mercedes came away from that opportunistic encounter with the Porsche the winner. Not only was it vastly more characterful, better looking and faster, it was also better to drive (at least in the estimation of said colleague responsible for writing that test and delivering the verdict).

Back home a few months later, we devised the toughest test we could. Rivals now included the 911 Turbo S, BMW i8, Nissan GT-R and Aston Martin Vantage N430. We’d spend a couple of days on the gorgeous roads that weave through the Scottish Borders before decamping to Anglesey Circuit. If the Mercedes could emerge from that contest with the belt still around its waist, that knock-out victory in California would’ve been no fluke.

I remember being astonished by its traction and body control, by the scalpel-sharp responses of its raucous twin-turbo V8. I loved the low-slung seating position and the feeling of being perched over the rear axle with the high, neverending bonnet reaching far out before you, like so many classic front-engined sports cars. Its overly light and reactive steering took a little getting used to, but once dialled in I had no issue with it. It was my winner, and so too for every other judge on that test. The AMG GT walked it.

With the benefit of a decade’s hindsight, I now wish the Aston had won because it was the most straightforwardly rewarding car there, with its passive dampers, naturally aspirated motor and manual gearbox – but back then, it seemed hopelessly outgunned and outdated in the company of the world’s most sophisticated sports cars.

Nevertheless, the AMG GT was the worthy winner. I haven’t since driven an example I didn’t like – the hardcore GT R and the even more hardcore GT R Pro included. But my favourite is the mid-spec AMG GT C, which had the wider rear track and arches of the top-spec cars, but a much more road-biased chassis setup. The C remains the one I covet most, but you’ll need to spend close to £70,000 to bag one.

But the S? I found one for less than £40,000, although with 99,000 miles behind it maybe it’s not the one to go for. But there are plenty of fresher examples for under £50,000, and given the way it looks and drives, its power and performance, that show-stopping interior and more, that seems good value to me. Better still, the 4-litre twin-turbo AMG unit is a proven and robust engine and the car’s overall reliability record seems rather good.

The AMG GT’s predecessor was, of course, the SLS. It set the basic technical blueprint that made the GT such an effective machine – front-mounted V8 shoved as far back in the chassis as it would go, gearbox positioned at the rear in a transaxle for optimum weight distribution. But the SLS really was a grand tourer with a far softer edge than the more single-minded AMG GT. Besides, you’ll need at least £100,000 to buy even the leggiest SLS today.

There may be many other front-engined sports cars and supercars I’d rather drive, Ferraris and Astons among them, but if it were my money on the line, I wouldn’t look beyond AMG’s 911 killer.

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