While taking a trip as a medical car for the 2011 Formula One season in Estate form, the Mercedes C63 AMG is welcoming a new job as the Safety Car for the 2011 DTM season. The snazzy Mercedes will make its first appearance on May 1, 2011 at the opening race of the German Touring Car Masters season at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg with racing driver, Jürgen Kastenholz, behind the wheel.
The C63 AMG Safety Car comes equipped with the AMG Performance Package that will ensure the 6.3-liter V8 engine delivers a total of 687 HP. The engine will be mated to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission, which incorporates a wet start-up clutch and four transmission modes as well as double-declutching and RACE START functions for optimum driving dynamics.
The Safety Car will also feature enlarged openings and side air outlets, an AMG carbon-fiber spoiler lip on the boot lid that reduces lift at high track speeds, and multi-spoke AMG light-alloy wheels painted in matte black with a high-sheen rim flange. The Mercedes will be further distinguished by DTM Safety Car logos, an LED light bar on the roof, and the stroboscopic flashing LED lights at the front and rear, plus a number plate illuminated with LEDs and the words "Safety Car" on the boot lid.
Understanding why people sometimes think that what they have isn’t enough despite the evidence suggesting otherwise is a very tricky thing to figure out. But to each his own, and you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept it.
This particular Mercedes C63 AMG is a perfect example of that. Already packing an impressive 451 horsepower, the owner of this C63 AMG, Keith Brantley, thought that he could get in touch with a tuning company and squeeze a little more juice on his high-powered Mercedes. So, he hooked up with Modern Horsepower and gave them specific instructions: give me more ponies to play with.
The result, as you can expect, is arguably the fastest C63 AMG on the planet. Dubbed the “Red Brown Arrow”, MHP gave the C63 its very own Stage 3 CMR package, giving the vehicle’s naturally aspirated V8 engine an output of 652 horsepower and 595 lb/ft of torque. If you’re not doing the math, that’s an increase of over 200 horsepower and 152 lb/ft of torque.
But that’s not the end of it.
Continued after the jump.
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Now that Mercedes has a sedan and a coupe version for the C-Class, anyone would expect to find a convertible staring at them in the near future. These people would absolutely be right, but the new convertible may contain a few differences compared to the current C-Class models. While the general design lines will remain the same, the C-Class Convertible model will not compete with the usual BMW 3-Series and Audi A5. Instead, Mercedes may be opting for a model that will be placed in a class below these competitors. This decision shouldn’t be too surprising considering the company has just brought the E-Class Convertible on the market and offering a similar model wouldn’t make good business sense.
Following the usual trend lines, the C-Class Convertible will also get an AMG version, but while the entry level models will get a four-cylinder engine, the AMG version will use the same 5.5 biturbo V8 engine used in the CLS63 AMG. The only difference provided for the engine will be that power will be reduced to about 420 HP compared to the current 525 HP. Customers will also have the possibility of opting for a Performance Package that will increase the total output to about 450 HP. This will ensure a 0 to 60 mph sprint of about 5 seconds, while top speed will be limited to 155 mph.
Expect to see the Mercedes C-Class Convertible on the streets at or a little before 2014.
Believe it or not, once upon a time Mercedes was not producing more powerful and agile versions of its best sedans. AMG was a separate tuning company not exclusively owned by Mercedes Benz. They operated much the same as any other tuner, such as Brabus or Lorinser. Most automotive manufacturers dismiss the aftermarket world and few would ever market an aftermarket design through its own dealership network.
The relationship between Mercedes and AMG was different and the two brothers from Großaspach, Germany were able to catch their biggest break in the early 1990s. Mercedes Benz realized that it needed to compete in the sports sedan market and its down right boring C280 model was just not enough when up against a BMW M3. The two companies soon signed a contract allowing AMG to use the extensive worldwide dealer network that was at Mercedes’ disposal to market and sell their cars. The first was to be called the C36 AMG. There is some debate as to what was actually the first AMG car, but this was certainly the first to be sold by Mercedes as an AMG model. Racing collaborations had taken place in previous years, but never sold to the public in this fashion.
The C36 proved to be a success, even though many AMG enthusiasts may dismiss it. The car was more powerful than an M3 and the limited production run made it desirable to Mercedes buyers looking for a special vehicle. Production of the C36 stopped in 1998, but Mercedes would soon after take a controlling 51% share in AMG and begin using it as an exclusive tuning arm.
Hit the jump for more details on 1995 C36 AMG.
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You might as well change those two ’Ms’ with two ’Ns’ because the guys of Wimmer RST are unquestioned winners in our minds. As one of those tuning companies that take painstaking lengths in refining their past products, the German tuning firm went back to their prior program for the Mercedes C63 AMG and gave the Merc’s 6.3-liter V8 engine more pop under its hood.
From their past project, which gave the car 580 horsepower from the standard 457 horsepower, Wimmer went back to the shops and re-tuned the engine, which now boasts of an output of 601 horsepower and 532 lb/ft of torque. That number translates to a power-to-weight ratio of 2.79kg/horsepower and a new top speed of 204 mph, up from the electronically limited 189 mph figure of the previous incarnation.
The engine upgrade was made possible by the addition of of new modifications, including a sports camshaft, re-tinkered cylinder heads, a new optimized air intake, custom manifold catalytic converters, a sports air filter, and a new stainless steel exhaust system. Controlling the added power is a set of BBS CH-R alloy wheels (8.5 or 9.5 x 19 inches), wrapped in Dunlop tires, 235/35-19 at the front and 265/35-19 at the rear.
According to Wimmer, all these modifications will cost the owner around €19,900, which is about $28,156 based on current exchange rates. Add that to the price of the Mercedes C63 AMG and you’re looking at an $85,000 investment. Hey, that’s the price of cool and apparently the price of a weird yellow, white, and black paint job.
