Lewis Hamilton hunts the Beast of the Green Hell

What is Formula 1 defending champion, Lewis Hamilton, doing in a jungle, evidently out of his element? In this teaser video, Hamilton is on a quest to find the “Beast of the Green Hell”. Just like many teasers that make little sense, this one is at least less of a mystery as it is leading to the world premiere of the most potent model yet from Mercedes AMG’s GT series, on 24 June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The car has been given the name GT R – an odd choice considering that there are plenty of other letters or even numbers to choose from, and the label “GT-R” naturally brings to mind Nissan’s Godzilla.

Anyhow, the latest in the Mercedes’ GT series – the first model since the range was launched in 2014 - sets itself high above the base (456hp) and S (503hp) models, and will rival the likes of McLaren’s 675LT and Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS. Officially, not many details about the GT R have been released prior to the launch, but the most significant upgrade should be to the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, boosting output to 550-600 horses. This should improve the zero to 100 sprint to just over 3 seconds.

The GT R will have parts of the body fashioned from carbon fibre, making it lighter than the GT S and tipping the scale at 1,645kg. Besides the racier bodykit, the top of the range model will have uprated steering, wheels, tires, brakes and suspension.

This won’t be the last addition to the GT series, as there are plans to introduce more models in the next few years, and there has already been hints that a future Black Series variant might join the family.