Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S

Do you know what the most underrated chapter in the entire AMG history is? Not the 300 SEL 6.8 'Rote Sau', not the first 63 engines that got crammed into every E-Class by men who clearly had something to prove. No, the moment AMG decided they no longer wanted to build a dressed-up Mercedes, but a complete sports car that had earned everything on its own merit.

The SLS AMG was the first. The AMG GT was the refinement of it: shorter, sharper, meaner, and without those theatrical gullwing doors that guaranteed a cracked skull in every car park. "The Mercedes-AMG GT S Is Ridiculously Underrated" said Doug Demuro, the American car guru. There is really nothing more you need to add.

The GT was unveiled in 2014, and the rule of thumb within the family was simple. If you have the regular GT, you have a gorgeous car. If you have the GT S, you have understood what it is really all about. That same 4.0 litre V8 biturbo, but with the volume cranked all the way up to 510 bhp. An engine with its two turbos placed not outside but inside the V, 'hot V' the Germans call it, with a face as though they have just invented a patent.

The result is a response that is almost rude, and a sound that sits somewhere between a thunderstorm and the rumbling stomach of a predator. Put your foot down and you get a roar that strikes your neighbours off your Christmas card list in one go.

And then the proportions. The bonnet is so long it practically has its own postcode, and you sit all but on top of the rear axle. This creates an almost perfect 53/47 weight distribution. You feel it the moment you accelerate round a roundabout. This car pivots around its own axis as if it wants to let you know who is in charge here. Admittedly, subtle it is not. But anyone who wants subtle buys a Lexus and never gives anything another thought.

Right, back to the GT S standing here with us. And what a specimen. Finished in Designo Selenite Grey Magno, that matte, deep grey coat you lose yourself in with your eyes and that looks different under every fall of light. On a 911 that colour would be suspect. On this GT S it is exactly right, because a car with such haunches deserves a coat that does not shout but whispers. Inside, the combination of leather and Alcantara, two seats, and beyond that everything you need to get from A to B in a healthy state of excitement.

But the best part is in the folder. This GT S has a service history that matches the perfectionism of the car. Neatly maintained by the official Mercedes and AMG dealers, and not with the minimal oil changes most supercars get fobbed off with. No, here the spark plugs have been replaced at the right moments, the oil of the dual-clutch gearbox refreshed (the 700.

40, for the connoisseurs reading along), the brake fluid kept up, even the key battery and the alarm certificate taken care of. Someone has treated this car the way it ought to be treated. Not as a toy you thrash and then neglect, but as an instrument you maintain because you understand what you are holding in your hands.

And that is precisely the point with a car like this. An AMG GT S is not a car you buy to impress the crowd on Sloane Street, though it does that effortlessly. It is a car you buy because you know how a V8 is supposed to sound, because you feel the difference between a car that is fast and a car that makes you feel something, and because you understand that the truly good examples are the ones with a paper history that adds up. This one has all of it. Two owners since the private trade found it in 2018, and cared for impeccably ever since.

Ten years ago this car cost a fortune new, enough to have bought you a decent house at the time. Now it stands here for a fraction, with its whole story enjoyed alongside.

It does not growl for attention. It growls because it can.

Special features

• Dutch-delivered original
• Dealer-maintained, documented
• Full original paint
• 4.0 litre V8 biturbo, 510 bhp, pre-opf
• Designo Selenite Grey Magno (matte metallic finish)
• Leather / Alcantara upholstery
• AMG 20-inch wheels
• Carbon Exterior package
• Dual-clutch automatic
• Alarm class 4/5, certified
• Vehicle tracking system
• Recent extensive service including spark plugs, gearbox oil and brake fluid