Cheeky Mercedes-AMG Testing New V8 Engine in Old E-Class Coupe C207 Body

What appears to be your average Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe of the C207 generation variety doing its thing on the Nurburgring Nordschleife is actually something else entirely.

First of all, pump up the volume and you will hear a distinctive V8 rumble during each acceleration. How is that distinctive, you may ask? Unlike the current E Coupe, the previous E-Class Coupe (C207) had two different V8 options. That may be true, but none of them sounded like the prototype we have here.

Second of all, look closer and you will also spot the Mercedes-AMG wheels, oversized brakes and a rather professional-looking roll-cage. Combining all this information with the Böblingen license plates and the fact that the car is lapping the Nurburging during industry pool testing sessions, among other heavily camouflaged prototypes, and we have a mystery on our hands.

Well, not a total mystery, because we know it's a Mercedes-Benz mule, but still. Our guess is as good as others, but we suspect that Mercedes-Benz is actually testing the V8 powertrain that will be found in the future C 63 (W206) and other Mercedes-AMG models that will follow it.

The current 4.0-liter workhorse, originally based on two M133 four-cylinders from the first 45 AMG models is not exactly obsolete, having been introduced only four years ago. That said, the M133 already has a successor, so it's safe to assume that Mercedes-AMG is testing a replacement for the 4.0-liter V8 as well, likely based on the M139 four-cylinder in the latest A 45.

Judging by the way things are going nowadays, the new powerplant is set to be the last ever V8 developed from the ground up by Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz in general. Keep in mind that BMW is also working on a brand new 4.0-liter V8 so we're heading toward some interesting times.