Automotive

I'm a lover of brawny V-8 engines and solid German cars, so it was natural to be attracted to Mercedes-Benz. But after fifteen years enjoying a cultish W124 sedan discretely named 500E, it came time to part ways. Separation was made easier knowing my lieb...  

I am mourning the demise of high-performance NA engines, for me mostly in the form of BMW's M-series engines. But it is also sad to see the great NA AMG series engines phased out. Cheers, John

When you are on the road, most of the time, you are furtively behind this car. I had, several time,s the opportunity to be behind this AMG, and to hear the impressive engine roaring during the acceleration. Captivating. And totally contrasting with the so... 

I had the opportunity to try the 63 (in CLS guise) both on track and on the road. And while the chassis is adept, the whole concept was fully revolving around the engine. I remember car tests of the day praising it as much for its NA character as missing ... 

Nowadays engine sound is engineered into the package and is somewhat manipulative as the right sounds excite emotions independent of actual performance. Nevertheless, this car literally "barks" to life when started, which usually results in wide eyes and ... 

A pet peeve is the use of staggered and directional tires. This makes tire rotation an impossibility unless you are willing to go to the extreme of dismounting, flipping, and remounting them once a year and also accept the risk of damage to the rims!

Whether they need to be directional is another matter. Here you would switch to winter tires in fall anyway, so at least changing sets is a given (but most people would have a separate winter tire & rim set).

I have a car with the M113K engine (55K AMG). And I love the gobs of torque the car has. But the M156/9 engine is just amazing, so free revving, so fast, and eager, it's a pleasure to drive any vehicle with the 6.2 liter engine! Certainly does drink prodi... 

Remember a friend having the V10 M5 and that had a murderous thirst. In fact no matter how efficiently he drove it, he\'d never get the fuel consumption as low as with his NSX in full attack mode

But the V8 in the E92 was quite bad.

But there's just not enough torque. You hit the gas and there isn't that torque sensation. Turns very well, superlative handling.

But make sure that when you hit the gas, you are at 4,500+ RPM...will make a big difference. The engine at 8,400 RPM is quite the experience.

My friends who have it in the States seem to average 14 miles per US Gallon. That's pretty abysmal. I actually average around 16 mpg in my E55 AMG. Furthermore, the fuel tank on the E55 is larger too, necessitating less fill ups.

Those who track the engine seem to agree that it is most lively in the W204 C-class chassis, but for pure panache its hard to dispute the gullwing SLS.

I'd like to add a M156/9 engine to my stable to join my M113K engine. Just can't seem to figure out which one it's going to be... I'm thinking CLK63 Black series would be nice.

The Edition 507 "borrowed" the hood and the engine puts out the same power, but the BS definitely is randier and wide as a bus. IIRC there were 3 options to configure the C63 Black Series depending on type of driving, but none were oriented for the street... 

But I was thinking the 2008 CLK 63 Black Series, as it's the first official Black Series car for US Distribution, there was an earlier one (an SLK) but wasn't homologated for US. It'd be nice to have a historical car.

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It would certainly tick the right box and perhaps be an investment in the long run. If I won the lottery I might opt for the CLK GTR, a wonderful beast that brings back memories of the C9, or the ultra-rare 300SL AMG which mated a salvaged vintage Gullwin...  

There is an omission in the history of the 6.3, and one that I consider to be significant. While the M157/9 may be the best V8, I disagree with these engines earning the title of "Best 63 / 6.3" For me, that title goes to a little known variant only five ... 

I've never experienced a car with this engine which is a shame. Although my subject was limited to the V-8 engines, your comments relating to a "63" designated V-12 have me puzzled as I recall the M275-based V-12 AMG motors as 65's, ie, CL65, SL65, S65. P... 

I did not mean to troll your thread or bring it on a tangent with the V12. I should probably not write when mental capacity is limited by exhaustion. I must have misunderstood the OP to propose the M156/9 as the best "63" designated engine / model. Back t... 

Thank-you, its very exciting to learn about the 2001 special "63" V-12 models. I understand from Mr. Google that it was offered in Europe and Japan only, which explains my ignorance :-(

I had the opportunity to drive the 457 hp C63 a couple of years ago and i loved it a lot, a whole lot. The automatic gearbox didn't bother me at all . I've been in some newer ones with the 5.5 BiTurbo 570 hp and last week i drove a 2004 E55K 476 hp ... al...  

Porsche is obviously proud of it as there one in the museum at Zuffenhausen ...  

Both the 500E and the Audi RS2 actually helped get Porsche back from the brink. Hard to imagine these days but they were in quite a bad shape back then. The 500E is definitely a car I would like to own at some point.

Preferably the EVO II but a nice dogleg-boxed standard 2.5-16 would fit the Bim equally well ! I'll have the Almandine Red please Dreamin' dreamin' ... Bim

Glad I finally made time to come here to the Automtive forum to find this. As a fellow V8 lover, albeit with the Bavarians, I feel your pain. I have the e92 M3 coupe with the "bespoke" V8 and also the 2015 M4 coupe with the twin turbo V6. The V6 is faster... 

Happy New Year!