Prior to the introduction of the GT 63 S E Performance plug-in flagship, the most powerful GT 4-Door Coupe was the internal combustion-only 63 series. Twinned with the four-door CLS and four-door E rather than the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car, the five-door liftback flaunts a hand-built V8 engine connected to the AMG-specific version of the 9G-Tronic.
Marketed as the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G, the multi-clutch transmission features a wet start-off clutch that provides two advantages over a torque converter. Not only does it save a few pounds here and there, but it responds just a little bit faster under acceleration and load changes.
The M177 twin-turbo V8 uses a wet-sump lubrication system rather than the dry-sump design of the M178 in the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car. From a displacement of nearly 4.0 liters, this lump cranks out a very respectable 630 horsepower (639 ps) and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) of torque on full song, enabling a 62-mph (100-kph) sprint of 3.2 seconds.
4MATIC+ is the final highlight of the combustion-only 63 series, a clever all-wheel-drive system that flaunts a Drift Mode for more fun in the corners. The Brabus-tuned GT 63 S in the featured clip used all-wheel drive for all three dig races because of the rather wet conditions. Next to it, airline pilot Tseno Krastev lined up a bone-stock BMW M8 Competition.
It's not your usual M8 Competition, though, but the most practical of the bunch. The Bavarian automaker calls this body style Gran Coupe although it’s nothing more than an M8 Coupe with two additional doors. The Bimmer is hiding a twin-turbocharged V8 under the hood, a slightly larger engine than the Merc’s at 4.4 liters. It also happens to be slightly older by design, though it packs a serious punch. The Competition-spec engine is officially rated at 616 horsepower (625 ps) and 553 pound-feet (553 Nm).
Similar to the 63-badged GT 4-Door Coupe, this variant of the 8 Series also comes with a rear-wheel-drive setting. Equipped with a torque-converter automatic, likely the best one in the biz, the M8 launches pretty hard off the line in the first dig race. It features winter tires as opposed to summer-only rubber for the Brabus-tuned rival, which makes quite a bit more power and torque compared to stock. More specifically, 691 horsepower (700 ps) and a whopping 738 pound-feet (1,000 Nm) of torque.
That kind of torque, those tires, and these conditions aren’t ideal for the Merc, but once it gains a little speed, it starts closing in on the M8. Unfortunately for AMG enthusiasts, the Bimmer won the first race in 10.83 seconds compared to 10.91 for the Brabus-tuned GT 4-Door Coupe.
The second race begins with a much better start from the Merc’s driver, ultimately pipping the BMW by 0.04 seconds over the quarter mile. Can the M8 Competition Gran Coupe redeem itself in the final race? Well, it certainly did that, recording 10.92 seconds compared to 10.99 seconds.
As ever, this M8 Competition versus Brabus 700 GT 63 S video was filmed by the airline pilot at an airfield near the Bulgarian city of Varna.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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