Most of us like the sensation of adrenaline coursing through our veins when we hear the roar of a twin turbo V8 fire up. We like the thrill of getting tyres to squeal around a race track. A real race track with genuine sensations. Not what you get on a PlayStation screen. People like us, who have petrol in their veins and the means, go out and buy cars. Cars that excite and fire up the imagination. Cars where real fun is guaranteed. That’s exactly what Bengaluru based Boopesh Reddy did when he wanted to have fun. Some real fun, not the kind that’s available at the end of faux buttons on a touchscreen smart phone. He got himself a garage full of beasts. With a gobsmacking 5000bhp (cumulative) to tame, he is a dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast out for some good old fashioned fun. And his current favourite is none other than the Beast of the Green Hell, for there’s no limit to the amount of fun you can have at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT R.
“I had always wanted to get myself a muscle car,” says the soft spoken Boopesh, casting an indulgent eye over the matte green form lying dormant in a softly lit corner marked with the German flag, the letters AMG and a painting of Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Mille Miglia in the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR bearing the number 722. Clearly, the Mercedes-AMG GT R means something to him. In fact, all of his cars are super special but there’s something about this one that is unique. “German engineering and build quality with the characteristics of a genuine muscle car. Could I have asked for more?”
Sitting there in his garage and chit chatting about the finer points of his Mercedes-AMG, there’s no need for him to explain. We know exactly what he’s on about for that’s exactly how we felt last month when we took the conquerer of the Nordschleife and BIC to our own green hell – Lavasa. “You’ve got to give her the respect she deserves or else she’ll bite you back,” Boopesh tells us, and we agree. With 577bhp being belched out of a sonorous 4-litre twin turbo V8, could it be otherwise? Yet, she’s not all about raw vengeance either. “Play around with this yellow traction control knob… this is my favourite button in the car, by the way… and she can be very rewarding to drive,” he tell us.
Although he had already put his money down for it earlier, the first time he drove the car was at the Circuit de Barcelona in Catalunya, Spain. For two days Mercedes-AMG gave him a personalised GT R, complete with his name and the tri-colour in the car. Access to the track was unrestricted. Our queries about how much he would have played around with the little yellow button is answered with a smile that bore just a hint of sheepishness. Clearly those were two fun days.
Back home, once he got the car he decided to run it in himself. And since Boopesh doesn’t like run of the mill stuff, running in meant a sedate drive from Coimbatore to Bengaluru. “It was difficult. There was this big sticker right in my line of sight telling me to not rev the engine beyond a certain rpm and take it easy. That’s not easy when you have a car like this with you. The temptation to let loose and go for it, is very high.” And guess what? Contrary to what you’d expect this beast isn’t a handful on regular roads. “So far I’ve not faced problems. I have driven over speed bumps without scraping, crawled through traffic and of course out on the highway she’s super comfortable. In fact, this car has one of the most comfortable cabins you can find. It’s plush and nice,” he says. “I love this car,” he adds, unable to stop himself from turning around and looking at his sleeping beast.
Such is the lure of this car that Boopesh bought the Mercedes-AMG GT R in January this year, even before he had sat in it. “I saw the images on the internet, saw the video and I knew I just had to have this car.” And it had to be in this wild shade of matte green. No other colour was even in the reckoning as far as the master of Bren Garage was concerned. “It really does look like a proper beast in this colour, don’t you think?” he asks us. Yes sir, we certainly do.