Now You Can Buy A Mercedes-AMG GT S For Less Than A Cayman GTS

Indulging in the delights of depreciation-based fantasy is one of any car enthusiast’s favourite pastimes. Browsing the classifieds for bargain AMGs following the reveal of the 600bhp+ hybrid drivetrain destined for the next C ‘73’, we found an absolute corker: an AMG GT S for less than the cash pot needed for a showroom-fresh Porsche Cayman GTS.

You’ll need £65,390 to bag a zero-mile Cayman GTS in the UK right now, but check this out: a Diamond White Mercedes-AMG GT S from 2016 with just under 30,000 miles to speak of and whole bunch of expensive options. The price of £55,990 left us lost for words. Briefly.

What you have, other than nearly £10,000 in your back pocket for V-Power and rear tyres, is a 193mph super-coupe that will punch 62mph in the kisser from rest in 3.8 seconds courtesy of a bi-turbocharged 503bhp 4.0-litre V8. This was the engine that replaced the irreplaceable 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated legend and did a surprisingly convincing job of it.

Although we don’t know quite what form the next AMG GT’s drivetrain will take, owing to difficulties in mating the setup to a transaxle gearbox layout, we’re sure the four-litre will live long and fondly in the memory.

On this car there’s adaptive and adjustable AMG Ride Control sports suspension, the always-impressive AMG Speedshift seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and an electronically-controlled rear differential for typically AMG-ish slides on demand. The rest is, to some extent, superfluous, but rest assured there are many, many bells and an extremely large assortment of whistles.

The mixed-size Titanium Grey alloys hide 390mm and 360mm rotors front and rear, drilled for ventilation and with red-painted calipers. Excellent Continental SportContact 6 tyres will keep you planted unless you absolutely insist on sideways playtime. Inside you’ll find the Night Package, the Memory Package, the fixed panoramic glass sunroof, the COMAND sat-nav, a reversing camera and heated front seats. Don’t forget the wonderfully silly button-activated sports exhaust.

For sale at Parker Prestige in North Yorkshire, not far from some of England’s finest driving roads, this is possibly the absolute best way to buy a £56,000 2+2 sports car with a stunning spec sheet and relatively modest looks that isn’t a Porsche. Plus it has a damned fine V8 and a truly naughty streak. There’s nothing here not to love at this price unless it’s the rather bold black and red interior. If you just happen to win a £56,000 bet and only have room to keep one car, let’s assume we know what you’re going to do.