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Manic C 63 AMG Explains Why Mercedes Are Crazy In a Good Power War Way

If you've been on the Internet today, or live in Affalterbach, where they must be partying like (Green) Hell, you know the 2015 C 63 AMG has been unleashed. The sedan has five hundred freaking ten horses in its top S spec. 510 hp on a C-Class, in the car's first year on the market!
AMGs have always been torque monsters and this one even trolls the just-launched AMG-GT sportscar. Yes, that may be "pure breed", but the C 63 has slightly more muscle in both of its versions. And yes, the past generation's C 63 AMG 507 may have offered the number of ponnies shown by its name, but that was a swansong that came around after years and years of service from the regular models, if I can call them that.

If the Cold Power War needed any confirmation, the AMG C-Class plays that part. "What is the Cold Power war?" you may ask. Some years ago, Audi's RS, BMW's M and Mercedes-Benz' AMG were battling it out in the German Power War - each new model that came out allowed its driver to indulge in more powaaah than before and the combustion-hungry Germans kept challenging each other to the point where the output figures reached ridiculous levels for the time.

At a certain point, the three spicy divisions played a smooth trick on the world, stating that the Power War was over. The truth was a bit different though, as they actually turned the entire story into a Cold War, or a silent conflict, if you like.

The arms race

Fast forwarding to September 2014 brings us the manic C 63 AMG. With its 510 hp, this not only leaves the 431 hp M3 and the aging 450 hp Audi RS4 far behind, but dares to move closer to the superior segment - I'm hearing the 560 hp M5 wining about this move not being fair or something.

Sure, the M3 has returned to the good old values of the M division and, as we found out earlier this year, is one hell of a handler, but recent independent dyno runs show the thing is actually close to 480 hp at the crank. As always, BMW is one silent assassin. Speaking of this, I'm eager to see what the engineers in Ingolstadt think of the new C 63 AMG, given that the next-gen B9 Audi A4 is in development as
you are reading this.

By the way, the Quattro Gmbh engineers who are putting together the next RS4 are also currently tasked with completing the development of the new RS3. Audi has an important decision to make - will it take its hot hatch to 400 hp in order to crush the already insane 360 hp Mercedes A45 AMG or not?

Heck, nowadays even electric cars have gone power crazy. I'll mention yet another... AMG here, namely the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive. Proudly offering 751 hp and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm), this is the world's most muscular production EV. I can hear the thing rumbling "Yes, allow me to save the planet while I spin it the other way around with my instant electric torque!"

The American Dream

To hell with geography. Actually, to Hellcat with geography - leaving Germany and Europe altogether, I'll switch the focus to the US, where the story is all about divisions once again. To be more precise, I'm talking about the one that runs the hostilities here, namely Dodge's SRT.

Since we're talking about a War, I'll start with the Charger, not the Challenger Hellcat. Yes, the Charger, which just happens to be the most powerful sedan in the world, thanks to those 707 ponnies churned out by the supercharged 6.2 liters of Hemi under its hood. The figure places the muscle sedan ahead of any V12-powered AMG or Bentley you can think of.

Speaking of the British marque, Bentley has recently launched a missile of its own, in the form of the Mulsanne Speed. The sheer notion of adding such a moniker to the Mulsanne is ridiculously pleasing: at 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm), this is probably the torque-iest sedan on the market. To put it simply and return to the US, Bentley now sells a Hot Rod. The chauffeur is probably giggling.

The only problem with the Charger Hellcat's 707 hp is an aftermarket Hyundai, The US arm of the South Korean carmaker is preparing a custom incarnation of the 2015 Sonata for this year's SEMA and the bloody thing will have 708 horses. A real-world comparison would turn the Hyundai into a drivability joke, but the number still stands 1 horse above the Dodge.

I haven't forgotten the 707 hp Challenger, since this is how the Hellcat story debuted. Besides, the Challenger Hellcat is wearing an SRT halo car aura these days.

I didn't necessarily want things to come around this way, but I can't think the Challenger is built on a platform strongly related with a retired... Mercedes. And we're back to the guys who may have just forgotten to add 4Matic All-Wheel Drive as an option for the C 63.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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