The guys who redefined the high-performance saloon a generation ago are at it again with a gorgeous beast of a car that puts down 518 horsepower and has room for five passengers.
AMG, the in-house tuning division of Mercedes-Benz, pulled the wraps off the E63 on Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show, apparently believing that something so trivial as a worldwide economic meltdown and cratering auto sales are no reason not to go nuts building a performance sedan.
The E63 is armed with a mammoth 6.3-liter V-8 producing the aforementioned 518 horses and a stump-pulling 465 pound-feet of torque. That kind of output will stop even the worst mid-life crisis as you sprint from zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds on your way to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Hand over a few more stacks of Benjamins and you get a performance package that ups that to 186 mph.
AMG has packed a heap of high-tech hardware into the car, and the abundance of gadgetry combined with such brute power has us reminiscing about the one and only 1986 Mercedes 300E "Hammer" -- at the time, the most revolutionary car AMG had ever built.
The Hammer was the world's fastest passenger sedan when it was unleashed in 1986, producing as much as 375 horsepower and offering handling on par with the Ferrari 288 GTO. It was also absurdly expensive, with a top-of-the line model commanding $161,400 -- about $322,000 in today's dollars by our calculation.
The E63 is similarly innovative. It's got a seven-speed transmission with multiple clutches and four driving modes ranging from "controlled efficiency" to maximize fuel economy to "sport plus" to maximize performance. An electronically controlled damping system automatically varies according to the driving situation. Safety features include the "Attention Assist" drowsiness detection system -- though we can't imagine getting sleepy behind the wheel of something this fast -- a crash responsive Neck-Pro head restraint, seven air bags and electronic nannies to keep you from wandering out of your lane or hitting something in your blind spot.
No word yet on the price of the E63, but any company with a "one man, one engine" policy of hand-building engines doesn't produce inexpensive automobiles.
The E63 rolls into showrooms in November.
Photos: Mercedes Benz
