I'd like to start this review by prattling on about how this 550-horsepower super sports car can slay the toughest track set before it. I'd love to wax poetic about its relentless grip, its composure at speed, its hunkered down feel in sharp bends, and the feeling of joy it imparts to the driver as it helps you turn in quick lap times time and time again.

Even though the 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster is almost certainly capable of all of that, I can't start off that way.

You see, when an automaker cuts the top off from a sports car or even a supercar, it immediately classifies it as a "lifestyle" car instead of a track beast, even though all that track goodness is still baked right in.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

The AMG GT C Roadster and GT Roadster are the first two droptop versions of the AMG GT. The GT C is positioned between the GT S and the all-out GT R in the growing AMG GT lineup, while the GT model represents the new entry point of the range. Together, these are the only two roadster offerings, so there is no GT S or GT R Roadster at the present time.

Mercedes invited Motor Authority to Phoenix to drive the AMG GT C Roadster, where, instead of a track, we could enjoy it by dodging the cops, finding the occasional twisty mountain road, and viewing it against the beautiful backdrop of the American Southwest. 

Rock solid

The AMG GT C works well as a roadster, and its structure is a major reason. Like the coupe, the car features an aluminum spaceframe with a central tunnel that houses a torque tube and a carbon fiber driveshaft that leads to a rear-mounted trans-axle.

AMG engineers employed a few measures to make up for the loss of structural rigidity provided by the top. They added a crossmember longitudinally within that central tunnel, reinforced the side sills with additional chambers and thicker metal, and anchored the dash crossmember in three additional locations.

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The result is a car with little to no body quake or dashboard shake, even over broken pavement. This car is as sturdy as a super sports car should be, and it has the structure to handle track duty, even if that isn’t how Mercedes-AMG chose to present it to journalists at the drive event.

The chops for the track
It’s not just the structure that can handle the rigors of the track. The AMG GT C has plenty of equipment meant for track performance. A few of those features are found at the tail end of the car. To fit wider tires and bigger wheels under it, the rear fenders are 2.2 inches wider and the rear track grows a commensurate amount. That allows the GT C to handle 305/30R20 meats mounted on 12-inch wide wheels under its low-slung rear end. The tires are 10 mm wider than the GT’s, and so are the 265/35R19 fronts. On both cars, the tires are Continental SportContact6s, which are a viable performance tire, but they aren’t as track-focused as some of the better tires from Michelin or Pirelli.

To help those wide tires rotate through corners, Mercedes-AMG outfits the GT C with rear-axle steering that can turn the rear wheels up to 1.5 degrees opposite of the fronts at speeds up to 62 mph. Over that speed, the wheels turn with the fronts to provide highway stability.

Also at the rear, the GT C gets an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The standard GT roadster has a mechanical limited slip, but the GT C's electronically controlled version should act faster and therefore allow quicker cornering and faster lap times. Both versions help put the power down when coming out of a corner.

Up front, the GT C comes with bigger binders than its little GT brother. The discs are internally ventilated and perforated, and 15.4 inches in diameter, 1.2 inches larger than the GT’s. They have 6-piston calipers. Both cars come with 14.2-inch discs at the rear with single-piston calipers, and both are offered with optional carbon ceramic discs, 15.8 inches up front and 14.2 in the back.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, Phoenix, Arizona media drive, March, 2017

At all four corners, the GT C gets Mercedes-AMG’s Ride Control adaptive damping suspension. This system automatically changes the damping characteristics of each wheel for the current road conditions, driving situation, and speed, and it has three settings: Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. The standard GT has a sport suspension without adaptive dampers.

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The driver also gets to choose an additional mode in the standard Dynamic Select System, which controls the parameters for the engine and transmission response, steering, suspension, and stability control. This Race mode makes the engine and transmission act like a dog that never wants to stop playing fetch.

Those are the performance enhancements for the GT C, but it also comes standard with the AMG Performance exhaust because if your super sports car can’t sound bad-ass, what’s the point? This system has two variable-adjustable flaps in the exhaust system. Put the car in the Sport+ or Race modes, or hit the exhaust button, and it makes more barbaric sounds.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

550 wild horses
Both the GT and GT C are powered by Mercedes-AMG’s 4.0-liter, direct-injected, twin-turbocharged V-8. In the GT, it produces 469 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque from 1,700 to 5,000 rpm. In the GT C, it spins up 550 hp from 5,760 to 6,750 rpm and 502 lb-ft of torque from 1,900 to 5,750 rpm.

Both versions are potent, but AMG breathed on the GT C version to give it the extra guts. It starts with the turbos. They are larger for the GT C thanks to larger impellers. The result is 18.1 psi of boost versus 16 psi for the GT.

To make the extra boost work best without sucking down too much fuel, AMG engineers lowered the GT C engine’s compression ratio to 9.5:1 versus 10.5:1 in the GT. They did this with differently shaped piston heads.

Other changes include revised ECU programming, a higher capacity fuel pump, and polished exhaust ports for decreased back pressure.

Special inside

Slide into the low-slung AMG GT C and it just takes a second to realize that Mercedes-AMG isn't messing around with cheap materials. Everything is covered in leather or Alcantara, and the trim is all carbon fiber or aluminum. The AMG GT C also features some interior upgrades over the standard AMG GT, as you might expect for what is probably a $30,000-$40,000 premium. Those upgrades include nappa leather upholstery, nappa leather and Alcantara on the steering wheel, an embossed AMG emblem on the wide center console, and an AMG instrument cluster with a 220-mph speedometer.

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The available performance seats are decidedly sporty—they may pinch the backside of the full-figured gentleman—but they proved to be all-day comfortable, even after 300 miles of top-down driving through the Arizona desert. They come standard with Mercedes' AirScarf neck-level heating system to encourage drivers to put the top down even on somewhat chilly days.

That top is a triple-layered cloth affair offered in three colors: black, beige, or red. Red with any of the silver colors is particularly stunning. The top's structure is made of steel, aluminum, and magnesium to save as much weight as possible. It opens or closes in just 11 seconds at the push of a button at speeds up to 31 mph.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

Special on the street

Mercedes' drive route took us from Phoenix to Sedona and back. It included a lot of highway miles but also brought us through some twisty mountain roads where the AMG GT C could show off the sports car that lies within. And what a sports car it is. The roadster has the same razor sharp steering of the coupe, and it provides some nice feedback that imparts what's happening with the front wheels, too. It has the same locked down feel in corners, gripping the road with tenacity and giving the driver a feeling of confidence. The rear-axle steering helps it rotate willingly through turns, making this short wheelbase car feel even shorter. And yet, the roadster has the same high-speed stability as the coupe. Mercedes's public relations team didn't give us the opportunity to experience this car on a track, but I'm confident it would have acquitted itself well if they had. 

Despite its performance prowess, the AMG GT C Roadster is also fairly comfortable on the street. The car's character is determined by the Dynamic Select System. Run it in Comfort mode, and the ride is firm but forgiving and the powertrain is almost too relaxed. The transmission wants to shift up quickly in this mode and that makes the engine feel lazy. There can be a delay in power delivery when you want to call forth the horses.

Opt for either of the Sport modes or the Race mode, however, and passing only requires a mere hint of pressure on the throttle. It's a matter of degrees how aggressive the powertrain gets as you move up the scale from Sport to Sport+ to Race. Choose one of these modes, enable the launch control feature by simply hitting the brake and throttle at the same time, and and the AMG GT C will rocket from 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, and it can run all the way up to 196 mph. In any of these modes, the ride becomes a big busier, but, thankfully, not too harsh.

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster

Should you lust after it?

If you don’t already, what’s wrong with you? The timeless roadster shape; the clean, uncluttered, yet purposeful design; and the in-your-face attitude all make it one of the sexiest cars on the market. With an ambitious pricetag of around $160,000, it may as well be made of unobtanium as far as most of us are concerneted. And the raw power teamed with agile, hunkered-down dynamics, make it a true super sports car that is every bit as desirable as a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

The 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster is bedroom poster material. Hell yes, you should lust after it. I just wish I could tell you for certain how special it is on the track as well.

Mercedes-Benz provided travel and lodging to Internet Brands Automotive to bring you this firsthand report.