I came across this car listed last week and was curious if this is a common occurance in the MB world as I'm not too familiar with it...

I've been shopping the AMG GT 43, going through all the options availible in the configurator, found the "dealer order guides" posted here on MBworld and then some. This one is apparently a former "Corporate Demonstrator" and has options NOT listed as ever being availible for the GT 43 (AMG Performance seats, deleted rear seats) along with a rather long listed of deleted options like back when there were production constraints on some options during the pandemic.






Anyway, my question is if anyone else has found models on lots like this before, with options not normally availible in their market? I'm certainly not used to seeing this kind of thing in the other brands I've followed (minus some paint colors from Mazda that wind up not being listed on their website as options every couple years). Do dealers have the capability of ordering options like this, or is it something that only happens at higher levels of the food chain? Thanks.

 

Looks like this post isn't getting much reaction, and I've tried asking a couple other places as well as some of the dealers that have these cars. But I have some other cars with options that shouldn't exist that I'm trying to figure out still HOW they exist and how they are being ordered like this.

Anyway, it relates to the AMG GT 43 Coupe. I've been researching it a bit since its a possible purchase, and while doing so, started delving into the options available not only here in the US but overseas in Germany and comparing both configurators and dealer options. While going through some of the photos I've saved of US spec cars, I noticed something... Yellow brake calipers on a couple of the cars.

Now this might not seem like much, but for the 2026 model year, there is no option for the GT 43 to have yellow brakes, and its actually in a full option package that is available in other markets with the dealer code "P71" as seen here:



I checked the dealer order guide posted here on MBWorld and no, that is NOT an option for the 2026 model for sure! So I dug deeper, and it turns out these are leftover 2025 models that have this, and apparently the 2026 doesn't have that option...

But it not that simple! It wasn't an option for the 2025 model either! I looked into the Window Sticker for these specific cars, and discovered that on the physical window sticker, those options are NOT shown! But if you go into the digital window sticker (if the dealer has it, with some don't) it shows them as non-pay options included for free on the car:







I've NEVER seen a car with options like that, especially PERFORMANCE options that are quite important (Limited slip diff for sure, even the rear wheel steering!) that are not even mentioned on the OG window sticker, not to mention are not supposed to be availible in the market!

I've currently found four for sale in the whole of US with the yellow calipers, but its hard to find on some of the cars without real pics and innacurate window stickers. There might be one or two more, and who knows how many sold last year with this option (not many, there are like 40 of this trim total in the country right now).

Here are two others:




One of the reasons I started looking into these option packages is that the other car I'm comparing this too, the Lotus Emira I4 with the same engine, ALSO doesn't have a limited slip diff. So the fact that you can get one somehow with the LSD is quite important and might shift my purchase, especially since its got other stuff like the track mode options, rear steer, different spring rates, etc. included in that package.

The BIG question for me is if that option package can STILL be ordered in secret somehow with dealers... But I certainly would need to find someone higher up the Merc/AMG food chain to confirm if this is possible, and I don't want to put this on blast with a local dealer to loose my bargaining power so if anyone knows anyone in the loop that would be sweet.

 

A compiled list of the specific cars in question with VIN numbers:

W1KRJ4CB8TF009240 - 26: Yellow Escondido, P71 + Rear Steer
W1KRJ4CB8SF005736 - 25: White in Santa Monica, P71 + Rear Steer
W1KRJ4CB2SF005120 - 25: Black Pheonix, P71 + Rear Steer
W1KRJ4CB8SF004957 - 25: Red in Long Island, P71 + Rear Steer
W1KRJ4CB5TF008921 - 26: White NY, P71 ONLY

W1KRJ4CB4SF002235 - 25: Gray NY, AMG seats + Rear Seat Delete

 

Small update from the local dealer:



Still not a competely clear answer... Sounds like maybe these cars just wind up in the dealers system to order, and they get them not knowing they were not originally US spec cars or something?

I found another one in the used market with the yellow calipers, a 2026 down in Mississippi:




I REALLY don't want to play the hunting game to find one of these since I haven't even test driven one yet... If I got one, I'd want to do a custom order

 

Hello and welcome to the forum! Its standard fare to have a certain amount of cars wit different specs for launch and demo purposes. You may also find that some of the cars (not this model specifically) also have earlier build dates well before launch or model year.

That said, I am not sure why you are focusing on the 43 model. These cars are underpowered and are less desirable for resale. As you mentioned, they also lack the wanted options. If its the price, I suggest to look for a CPO GT55 over a new GT43... You will get more car for the money.
If you are looking for deals on cars or lease deals, I suggest to post any deal you are serious about for feedback here on the forum to make sure you are not overpaying.

Good luck!

 

After contacting all of these dealers, the only one I could confirm as being a demo/launch model is that first one mentioned with the AMG Performance seats. The rest are both 2025 and 2026 models and have arrived at various dates in the last year.

I don't have any interest in any V8 models I learned I'm not a "V8 guy", a high strung 4-cyl is signifcantly more appealing to me than a cross plane V8. I'm shopping every dedicated sports car that can fit in my limited garage space that can also operate as my only car (going down from 3 cars to just 1 due to a move and shared smaller garage space). I discovered the GT 43 after finding it has the same engine as the Lotus Emira I4 for the same price range, but the GT has a lot of things going for it.

Saying that a 400hp sub 4000lbs car that runs a 13.0 1/4 mile is underpowered sounds ridiculous to me! This would be the second fastest car I've owned, with my currently I5N being faster than any AMG model outside of the S E Performance variants, with the same power and weight (415hp, just under 4000lbs) as a 2016 Chevy SS I owned that I couldn't get better than a 13.6 in the 1/4 mile with. The 43 has 300lbs less weight on the front axle too since its RWD! I need to test drive one of course, but price wise, its almost $50k cheaper than the GT 55's I'm seeing on the market, and not the only 4cyl car over $100k with the Emira and the leftover 718 4cyl caymans hitting $100k+ especially the S models that I'm seeing as high as $130k new. The 718 Cayman is a 13 year old car though, feels like a $50k car for $100k+ as does the Emira interior wise which doesn't feel like being in a $100k+ car. The AMG GT feels like a $200k car discounted to $100k which is highly appealing. But if I was spending $150k, I'd just get a 911 for sure.

Not interested in used cars either, I don't buy lightly used cars. Depreciation is hard to determine considering probably less than 100 of these have sold in the US (which a rare car is also highly appealing to me) and 718 Caymans with 4cyls also depreciate heavily. The Emira doesn't depreciate much, but has significant reliablity concerns and lack of dealership access. But I haven't made any decisions yet either.

As for other dedicated sports cars, the C8 won't fit in the garage due to the weight, the LC500 is discontinued and not really worth while as a track car, Audi no longer has any 2 doors for sale, BMW's "Sports cars" are just tarted up entry level luxury sedans/coupes not dedicated sports cars. Supra is being discontinued and not a fan after driving one, and the Z is well, a Nissan which is a bad idea. No interest in Mustangs. I did just sell a 2025 Miata because it just wouldn't work in my new situation which was sad, and I already had a BRZ so I don't want another one of those. Thats it for every "dedicated" sports car under $150k on the market in the US right now
Thanks! I will do that. I'm curious what kind of discounts folks are getting on GT's.

 

AMG GT coupe are beautiful coupes and am happy you are considering one but power is in the eye of the beholder Our AMG GTC was definitely lighter, quicker and faster with even less weight on the front axle (due to mid-front engine), had 550hp but I would have enjoyed more power; so, not ridiculous to me.
Still am confused about your comments. You wouldn't consider a C8 due to weight when you drive a near 5,000lbs EV? Also wouldn't call a G8x M3/M4 tarted up luxury sedans/coupes. They will easily beat the GT43 on road/track.

 

Good to see you here Wolf!! and stop making sense!!

The 43 is just an optically pleasing car for me- and its missing the most important part of the GT lineup- that ferocious engine. And I appreciate you differentiating my luxury sedan aka the M3 CS

Oh fun fact: Im on my 2nd C8 Z06 and what a fkn car that is!!! Who would thought after all those Germans and Italian cars I had that I would finally buy a domestic and it is the Z- two times over!! And guess what... the 670 hp is possibly not enough for me so I might "cave" and get a ZR1.

 

My first "fun" car was a 1.8l 110hp Impreza with AWD that couldn't go up a hill without a couple of downshifts! Plus owning a Miata and the I5N at the same time I never felt like I disliked one or the other because of the power or kinds of car they were switching between them constantly, the Miata never felt too slow and the I5N never felt too heavy. A fun car is a fun car.

Granted, the I5N turns me into a villian on the road! The instant power and ability to close any gap instantly is actually an issue, I'm shocked I haven't been pulled over yet in it LOL!
Oops, thats a typo... Was supposed to be "weight". Don't see a way of editing the post. The width of the doors in a C8 are a HUGE issue if you have a tight garage/parking space like I do, basically impossible to get in/out of the car Also, there is a big lack of cabin storage in the C8 unlike the AMG GT and Emira, and the C8 also was knocked off the list when my passenger sat in it and was immedialy "No" due to the seats and interior layout.

The I5N is 4800lbs, which sounds like a lot but isn't due to the weight location/distribution and tire width (285's all around). The new E53 Wagon and Audi performance wagons are both 400-500lbs heavier

In terms of weight, the CLA 45 weighs almost 3800lbs and can cost $80,0000, plus the C 43 weighs 200lbs more than the AMG GT 43, and neither of those are considered "Under-powered" which to mean just screams that the AMG GT has a lot of pre-concieved notions around it about what it should and shouldn't be rather than how good of a car it is or isn't.
Modern BMW's just irk me for some reason, they completely lost the plot on exterior and interior styling. The Z4 is probably the best, but its dated now and isn't really better than a Miata for practicality, just does a better job fitting big people in a convertible.

In terms of beating cars around the track, my I5N already does that:


Actual significantly faster lap in the second session, when the AMG GT was behind me and never seen again the whole session LOL! (Not that fast of a driver, ive seen faster GT's on track for sure)


I'm not really chasing "fastest track car" with this new purchase, its more about trying to check as many boxes as possible, including being able to run at the track. The GT 43 surprisingly can still run super wide tires all around! It comes with the same 21" wheels/tires as the wide-body 55 and 63 which surprises me (295's front, 305s rear) so I guess there are more suspension width differences than fender capacity differences between the two trims?

 

Well, a car is as quick as the driver and a GTR will outrun the I5N. A shorter tighter track definitely benefits the EV but there is 15-30sec+ difference between these cars at VIR on the Nurburgring (which is a lifetime).
But looking at the track vids you go light w/lower hp or heavy and higher HP with the EV. The GT43 will be heavier than you want for the power (this is not a sub-4000lbs car). With fluids and driver you are at an easy 4200-4300lbs...

Am just suggesting to first test drive the 43 vs 55 vs 63. See what you actually like best and then work on getting the best deal.

 

Likewise! Love your GT63 coupe!! The C8 ZR1 & ZR1X are nutty quick but so are the markups right now. I like your Z06; sweet soundtrack and usable hp. Have been seeing your cars on Bimmerpost.

 

Ya the GTR should be faster for sure, but I'm also running wider and stickier tires on the I5N versus what comes with it stock.

The weight number needs to stay curb weight for comparing cars, otherwise you can really get into the weeds trying to measure everything out for comparing one car versus another. Here is a spreasheet I made for every current "Enthusiast" new car on the market under $150k (and some over), and it includes curb weights so its easy to see differences between the cars:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t?usp=drivesdk

Of course I'll be doing test drives as soon as I can. I won't be considering the 55 or 63 due to the price and especailly the mileage right now, with gas possibly hitting $10/gallon here soon (Its already $7/gal). But we don't need to get into that can of worms either, I might even have to buy the I5N after the lease is up if things get worse and my investments crash even more.

Anyway, still would like to figure out how these specifically specced cars are making it to the US market... Such a strange thing to see performance options like this winding up on so few cars, reminds me of when the Cayman/Boxster T came out in the US and for a couple month period in 2020 could be ordered with Carbon Ceramic brakes (only a couple cars actually had it optioned in the US, extremely rare car there too).

 

Bowling Green is turning out 10 or so ZR1's a day (not X) so just watch as the inventory comes up and then the discounts off the ADM and even MSRP (hoping) will come. But yes the Z06 is a legit domestic car in my book. 670hp is so much on the street.

 

I was gridded behind a Z06 yesterday at Laguna Seca. Glorious sound following it Won't work for my needs sadly otherwise would be on the short list.

 

100% the car is glorious with the FPC and I totally understand needs vs wants with this car... its not super practical.

 

Video from yesterday as mentioned

 

I can tell you that my '26 C8 ZR1 is an insane increase in power over my 3 C8 Z06s! The ZR1 makes up for my recent MBUSA buyback of my '25 S63 E Performance (I did "temporarily" replace the S63 with a CLE 53 AMG until the 2027 S63 is out).

I have been a "car guy" my entire life! I absolutely love my 4 C8s I own! IMHO the only car MB car in recent years that is even close to my C8 Z06s or ZR1 is the GTR which MB does not make anymore. Maybe someday MB will decide to make a new "track car" with the new flat plane crank V8 that is coming!

 

The C8 platform is absolutely legit! So much so that I first bought a '21 C8 Stingray putting 13000 hard track miles on it! Now I have 3 C8 Z06s that I exclusively track and just added a '26 ZR1 to exclusively track! I am such a loyal MB fan that I truly wished MB could compete on the C8 level for a track car. Yes the GT 63 Pro is a decent track car as I put some track miles on a GT 63 Pro but it does not even touch the abilities of the C8 platform!

 

100% agree--- the Pro is gonna sit too IMHO with that price point and lack of demand. Its barely, if really at all, more powerful than the paper detuned GT63.

WOW ZR1- I just added my HTC but will get that car next for sure.

 

With the crazy markups on the ZR1, I thankfully purchased mine at MSRP from the largest Corvette dealer in the US last fall.

Here is the black beauty the first day home Oct/Nov last year!

 

So I gave it a shot trying to purchase one of these cars this last week, and the dealer that had one was quite pushy and not transparent at all so it didn't work out, plus the number were way off from what I was looking to do right now. Went out and bought a Python Yellow 2026 Audi RS3 instead. Same amount of power but less weight than the GT 43, and about a $50k difference in cost on my end.

Really wanted to give one of these a shot, but it just didn't work out, oh well.

 

So another one of these "mystery" cars arrived new at a dealership. I figured it was just a leftover early model thing, but no, they are still showing up! I contacted the dealership and they looked into it, and this is what they said... Its a software glitch??? That is kind of wild to say that. There must be more to the story.

 

That AMG ride control isn’t the Active Ride Control; it’s just air suspension. That option is indeed in the 2027 Order Guide for the 43. It wouldn’t surprise me that there is some flexibility. I know options and packages are region specific and at MBUSA’s discretion as to what to offer this market. Someone posted here in an earlier thread that there are two suspension options available for the 55 a long time ago, but fact of the matter, all 2025 and 2026 had the Active Ride Control as standard as far as I can tell. Well, this year the order guide does indeed show what that person said in this forum. So, again, it seems like a somewhat permeable barrier.

 

Yes, its not the "Active ride control" its adjustable shocks, but not an air suspension. It still has coil springs.

Not sure why you are focusing on that option, I'm talking about the P71 package with the Limited Slip, Yellow calipers, and also the seperate Rear Steering option. Those are not on the dealer order guide for the AMG GT 43 but are on these specific cars and the point of this thread.