Photo: P-FOR-C on Bring a Trailer
Last month, the peeps at Mercedes-AMG elevated the C 63 from a twin-turbo V8 to a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder turbo. Even though it only manages up to 8 miles (13 kilometers) of all-electric range at speeds of up to 78 mph (125 kph), the all-new C 63 S E Performance is rocking 671 ponies and a Ferrari 296-shaming 752 pound-foot (1,020 Nm) of twist.
Unfortunately for the Affalterbach-based performance division, the switch from eight to four cylinders was met with pitchforks and torches even though nobody had this problem when Mercedes-AMG introduced the M139 four-pot turbo in 2019 in the W177-generation A 45 and A 45 S.
Although it may not sound as glorious as the M177 in the previous C 63, the M139 in the C 63 S E Performance is more than adequate in combination with the rear-mounted electric motor that puts out 201 horsepower. Be that as it may, the chief executive officer of BMW M couldn’t resist throwing shade at the Affalterbach-based rival for downsizing to four cylinders.
Asked during a media event if BMW M would replace their straight-six with a three-cylinder, Frank van Meel replied, “I hope that was just a rhetorical question because it's clear we're not going to do any three-cylinder engines. We're not even going to do four-cylinder engines in high-performance cars. I know there are other companies that are doing that, but we're not going to,” he told CarBuzz. The joke, however, is on the Bavarian marque.
Does S14 ring a bell? Remember a certain homologation special with four cylinders? BMW premiered the aforementioned four-cylinder lump in the E30 M3 in 1986, initially with 197 horsepower or 192 ponies when equipped with a catalytic converter. The M3 received an inline-six in 1992 with the E36, namely the S50 and the S52, for the post-facelift U.S. specification.
It's also worth remembering that the late Sergio Marchionne said that Ferrari would never make an SUV. But as fate would have it, the Prancing Horse of Maranello recently took the veils off the Purosangue, which it stubbornly markets as a four-door even though the hatch is considered a door as well.
Even if BMW M won’t develop a four-cylinder ever again, Frank van Meel’s grandstanding does not mean much because the Munich-based automaker gears up for the electric future. Half of global sales will be electric by 2030, with MINI going all-electric by decade’s end. It’s also worth noting that the G87 M2 is the final pure internal combustion M production car.
Although it may not sound as glorious as the M177 in the previous C 63, the M139 in the C 63 S E Performance is more than adequate in combination with the rear-mounted electric motor that puts out 201 horsepower. Be that as it may, the chief executive officer of BMW M couldn’t resist throwing shade at the Affalterbach-based rival for downsizing to four cylinders.
Asked during a media event if BMW M would replace their straight-six with a three-cylinder, Frank van Meel replied, “I hope that was just a rhetorical question because it's clear we're not going to do any three-cylinder engines. We're not even going to do four-cylinder engines in high-performance cars. I know there are other companies that are doing that, but we're not going to,” he told CarBuzz. The joke, however, is on the Bavarian marque.
Does S14 ring a bell? Remember a certain homologation special with four cylinders? BMW premiered the aforementioned four-cylinder lump in the E30 M3 in 1986, initially with 197 horsepower or 192 ponies when equipped with a catalytic converter. The M3 received an inline-six in 1992 with the E36, namely the S50 and the S52, for the post-facelift U.S. specification.
It's also worth remembering that the late Sergio Marchionne said that Ferrari would never make an SUV. But as fate would have it, the Prancing Horse of Maranello recently took the veils off the Purosangue, which it stubbornly markets as a four-door even though the hatch is considered a door as well.
Even if BMW M won’t develop a four-cylinder ever again, Frank van Meel’s grandstanding does not mean much because the Munich-based automaker gears up for the electric future. Half of global sales will be electric by 2030, with MINI going all-electric by decade’s end. It’s also worth noting that the G87 M2 is the final pure internal combustion M production car.
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