The car was introduced on 9 September 2014 and was officially unveiled to the public in October 2014 at the Paris Motor Show.

[1] While not directly replacing the SLS AMG (competing in a different segment), it is the second sports car developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-AMG.

[clarification needed] That same month, Mercedes-Benz announced the new Mercedes-AMG R232 SL-Class as the direct successor for the roadster version.

[12] The car made its debut on 9 September 2014 and was officially unveiled to the public in October 2014 at the Paris Motor Show.

The GT's exterior design was kept similar to that of the preceding SLS AMG, with wide wheel arches, lower bodywork, and fastback sloping roofline of the SLS AMG, but using conventional forward-opening doors instead of the iconic gullwing style pioneered by the 300 SL in the 1950s.

[14] The exterior lead designer was Mark Fetherston, whose previous works include the W176 A-Class, the CLA-Class, and SLS AMG.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT dual-clutch transmission; the GT S variant employs an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential.

[20] The GT S was the Formula 1 safety car for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons, having made its debut in that role at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix.

The M178 engine in this variant is tuned to an output of 340 kW (462 PS; 456 hp) and 601 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) of torque, with the key differences between this and its more expensive siblings being a mechanical limited-slip differential, an absorbent glass mat battery, the lack of the "Race Mode" setting in the AMG Dynamic Select adaptive drivetrain system, the lack of the AMG Ride Control adaptive suspensive system, and a passive AMG Sport Exhaust System.

The key mechanical differences the GT S gains over the GT include an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, "Race Mode" and "Race Start" mode settings in the AMG Dynamic Select adaptive drivetrain system, AMG Ride Control adaptive suspensive system, an AMG Performance Exhaust System with dynamic flaps, and a lithium-ion battery.

As with many other recent Mercedes-AMGs, at the time of introduction a limited production "Edition 1" series was issued of the GT S. 375 examples were sold worldwide, and include a gloss black aerodynamic set including a front splitter, lower wheelwell extensions, a carbon fibre roof, a fixed rear wing, red interior accents and red brake calipers, and various other extras.

The Edition 50 features: a choice of two shades of matte paint known as designo Graphite Grey Magno and designo Cashmere White Magno; black chrome exterior trim, headlight surrounds and forged / cross-spoke wheels; a two-tone silver pearl or black against grey quilted-leather interior which features a micro-suede wrapped steering wheel; and, "Edition 50" and "1 of 500" lettering on the steering wheel bezel and 12 o'clock mark in silver pearl.

As befitting of a high-performance variant, the GT R loses Keyless-Go, the integrated garage-door opener, the heated and power-folding side mirrors, the auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors and reverts to the basic light-weight 4-speaker audio system that the GT comes with, but these features can still be added as options.

However, the base GT variant gained several of these cosmetic changes as part of a mild facelift in the 2017 model year.

New upgrades includes, new manually adjustable coil-over suspension setup, lightweight anti-roll bars, electronically controlled dynamic engine and transmission mounts, GT R's optional carbon-fiber roof and carbon ceramic brakes became standard, new carbon-fibre bucket seats, lightweight forged wheels 19-inch on front and 20-inch on rear which were exclusive for the GT R Pro, same Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tires which were also used in the GT R, new carbon-fibre braced active aerodynamic front splitter and canards, new front fenders with GT3 inspired vents, new rear diffuser with canards, new side skirts, updated rear wing with a small gurney for increase downforce while reducing weight.

For the GT R Pro, Mercedes-AMG also offered an optional track package which adds a full steel roll-cage, four-point harnesses and a 2 kg fire extinguisher.

Additionally, the M178 LS2 uses a smaller compressor wheel, resulting in an increase in boost from the GT R's 135 to 170 kPa (19.6 to 24.6 psi).

Like previous Black Series vehicles, the camber is manually adjustable for both the front and rear axles.

The wing has an active aero flap, and contributes to a total maximum downforce of more than 400 kg (882 lb) at 249 km/h (155 mph).

The exterior gains an enlarged grille, based on the Mercedes-AMG GT3, large air outlets on the hood, manually adjustable front splitter, and upgraded rear wing as part of a major aerodynamic kit.

The interior features standard AMG performance bucket seats, and uses microfiber for the steering wheel, door and instrument panels.

[41] A single one of these cars raced as an invitational entry at the Red Bull Ring in the 2022 GT2 European Series.

It consists largely of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer to decrease the vehicle's weight to under 1,300 kg (2,866 lb) to comply with FIA regulations for races.

[55] In 2016, AKKA ASP, Black Falcon, HTP Motorsport and Zakspeed competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Two Mercedes customer teams, R'Qs Motor Sports and Arnage Racing, opted to continue using the SLS AMG GT3s.

Riley Technologies entered two customer AMG GT3s in the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD class.

[60] An updated version of the GT3 was introduced at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in June 2019 for the 2020 season of the FIA GT3 category.