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Mercedes-AMG M156: Remembering the First V8 Designed and Built in Affalterbach

Throughout history, the experts at AMG had taken standard Mercedes engines and turned them into high-performance pieces of engineering art. However, that changed in the early 2000s, when they began developing the first powerplant built from the ground up in Affalterbach. This endeavor gave birth to the M156, one of the most epic naturally-aspired V8 to ever come out of Germany.
Mercedes-AMG M156 Engine 14 photos
Photo: Daimler AG
Mercedes C 63 AMGMercedes C 63 AMGMercedes E 63 AMGMercedes E 63 AMGMercedes CL 63 AMGMercedes S 63 AMGMercedes SL 63 AMGMercedes SLS AMGMercedes-AMG M 156 EngineMercedes-AMG M 156 Engine (C 63)Mercedes-AMG M 156 Engine (E 63)Mercedes-AMG M 156 Engine (S 63)Mercedes-AMG M 159 Engine
As we all know by now, AMG started as an independent business that focused heavily on modifying Mercedes vehicles into high-performance beasts. In 1999, the German carmaker became the majority shareholder of the tuning company and by 2005, the latter became a wholly-owned subsidiary.

It was during this time that work began on the first engine that would be exclusively developed in Affalterbach and would serve as the flagship powerplant for the most feral of all AMG-badged cars.

Codenamed M156, the successor of the famed M113 K had little in common with previous Mercedes-Benz-derived engines and was build by harnessing all the expertise and racing technologies available at the time. It was extensively tested on two CLK DTM P900 prototypes and made its debut on the 2007 model year E 63 AMG.

Mercedes E 63 AMG
Photo: Daimler AG
The eight-cylinder displaced 6.2 liters (6,208 cc, 378.8 cu in) but was marked as a 6.3-liter to honor the first V8 mass-produced by Mercedes, the legendary M100.

At its core was a very strong aluminum block that featured a closed deck design derived from racing engines, a technique previously employed on the SLR McLaren’s M155. It used a bore and stroke of 102.2 mm × 94.6 mm (4.02 in × 3.72 in) and was the first mass-produced engine to employ a wire-arc spray coating called Nanoslide on the cylinder walls. According to the manufacturer, this technology increased durability and reduced friction by 50% around 230 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius) compared to conventional finely-honed cast-iron cylinder liners.

Mercedes\-AMG M 156 Engine
Photo: Daimler AG
The M156 was equipped with a forged steel alloy crankshaft and heavy-duty connecting rods which were also heavily based on those found in contemporary racing engines.

Standard versions came with cast hypereutectic pistons whereas the P31 performance package that debuted on the 2010 C 63 introduced new Mahle forged pistons linked to a lightened crankshaft by even stronger conrods. These upgrades were subsequently carried over to other 63 models.

Each bank of the powerful V8 featured an aluminum head with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts. All 32 valves were opened using bucket-type followers resulting in a stiff and compact valvetrain that enabled a higher power output.

Mercedes C 63 AMG
Photo: Daimler AG
Unlike the naturally-aspirated AMG-tuned M113 and its supercharged M113 K sibling, this unit used one spark plug per cylinder. Moreover, it introduced variable valve timing for both the intake and exhaust valves which was operated via electro-hydraulic cam adjusters.

At its lowest, the engine produced 451 hp (336 kW) in the 2008 C 63 and the highest-rated output of 518 hp (386 kW) came from the late S 63, E 63, SL 63, CLS 63, and CL 63 models.

It was nowhere near the M113 K in terms of reliability, being plagued by several issues that led to premature wear of several components but despite this, it was recognized as Performance Engine of the Year for 2009 and 2010 by Engine and Technology International Magazine.

Mercedes SLS AMG
Photo: Daimler AG
The engineers extensively redeveloped the unit, for the gorgeous SLS AMG supercar launched in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Over 120 components were completely overhauled, including most of the internals, valvetrain, and intake system. This resulted in a new version dubbed M159.

Although far from perfect, the first powerplant developed in-house by Mercedes-AMG was one of the most powerful V8s of its time and earned its place among the best V8s to come out of Affalterbach.

It was eventually replaced by the M176/M177/M178 twin-turbocharged range on road-going models but it lives on in M159 guise under the hood of race-spec AMG GT cars.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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