MELBOURNE: The Mercedes-AMG C63 S is debuting on the race track as the second Official Car alongside the GT S, succeeding the C63 AMG Estate in this role. The new Official Medical Car of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ is on hand to provide fast emergency medical care and is crewed by up to three medics.
At the wheel is racing driver Alan van der Merwe (RSA, age 35). His co-driver is the official FIA head physician, Dr Ian Roberts (GB, age 51). The rear accommodates one or two assistant medics from a selected specialist hospital near to the race circuit concerned.
The front mid-engine concept with transaxle, the V8 biturbo engine with dry sump lubrication, the dual clutch transmission and the cutting-edge sports suspension with aluminium double-wishbone axles provide the basis for fast laps on the race circuit. The AMG legend is not taken lightly: true believers can recite how founding engineers Aufrecht and Melater (the third letter in AMG was taken from Aufrecht’s birthplace) began hot-rodding Mercedes sedans in 1967 and won racing championships by perfecting large-as-possible engines.
The “one man, one engine,” tradition of hand-assembling V-8s and V-12s at AMG’s Affalterbach plant for installation in AMG-badged Mercedes-Benz cars, continues to be prominent in the marketing of the likes of the ongoing C63 coupe.
Powering the C450, though, is a production line V-6 basically identical to that of the C400 sedan now departing the Mercedes-Benz Canada lineup that lacked any AMG reference in its badging. In C450 guise, it’s made more powerful with AMG-prescribed increased boost from its twin turbochargers. A red aluminum insert in the engine shrouding fills in for the hand-assembler’s autograph on an AMG V-8.
It’s a soaring engine. It does not lollygag. Contemplate the numbers: the C450 accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, compared to 4.1 seconds for the C63 with its hand-assembled V-8. Less than a second difference between the standard bearer and the unsigned. Top speed, for either C450 or C63, is limited to 250 km/h.
What a shame the V-6 lacks the V-8’s arresting full-throttle bark. A great sport sedan must have a great soundtrack and the C450’s doesn’t sound nearly as good as it drives.
It’s important to realize the C450 is not a C63 Lite. Although the two cars share some AMG-specific parts such as steering knuckles, the C450 is better considered an AMG-engineered version of the C-class sedan, than a junior C63. Biggest difference between C450 and C63 is that all-wheel drive (permanently split 33:67 front-rear) makes the C450 a far less challenging all-weather car.
