– Los Angeles, California

Ask anyone who’s had the privilege of working with me and they’ll agree: I am not a morning person. Yet I find myself standing in the parking lot of a Shell station at the base of Angeles Crest Highway, at 6:30 AM on a Saturday, sipping coffee, letting myself wake up a bit before setting off on one of those blissful canyon-carving drives you read about, well, here.

Ever since I moved to Los Angeles in August, I’ve been making a habit of doing early morning canyon runs on the weekends. Get out on the roads early, and you’re treated to crisp air and very little traffic. Dawn breaks over the mountains and warm morning light fills the sky, shining onto beautiful ribbons of pavement that glow with an inviting warmth. The late, great David E. Davis, Jr., once said, “God does not charge us for hours spent driving before breakfast.” And while I personally don’t buy into any religion, I’ll praise any deity who affords me as much time as possible for howling down winding roads, especially when I have a Mercedes-AMG GT R at my disposal.

Pros

It’s not just about the numbers. Though they’re still very impressive. The R uses an upgraded version of the biturbo 4.0-liter V8 from the rest of the AMG GT range, with 577 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque...