There was a time, long ago, when an AMG model with less than eight cylinders wasn't so out of the ordinary as it has become today – not counting the epic M133 engine in the A 45, CLA 45 and the GLA 45 AMG.
The first generation of the Mercedes-Benz SLK (R170), for example, had an AMG version with a... gasp! supercharged V6 in the front instead of the 5.5-liter V8 that the SLK 55 AMG (R172) has today.
Based on the M112 engine family that was introduced back in 1998, the 3.2-liter V6 in the SLK 32 AMG was using a twin-screw supercharger to develop 354 hp and 450 Nm (332 lb ft) of torque, or almost the same as the bonkers M133 from today.
The French tuning specialists from BR Performance have a Stage 1 kit for that engine apparently, and it includes some fine-tuning of the ECU and a new supercharger pulley.
The result is a healthier 370 hp and 523 Nm (386 lb ft) of torque, which is kind of enough for the light SLK R170 to keep up with a modern A 45 AMG on the highway.
Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project. Full profile
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