Going out on a low note isn’t such a bad thing. Especially when that note is as low and sonorous as that played by the hand-built V8 of the Mercedes-Benz AMG 6.3 vehicles. Yes, 2014 is the end of an era. The 6.2-liter M156 and M159 units will soon go the way of the dodo, but don’t worry; twin-turbo 5.5L engines have started taking their spots, and the similarly blown 4.0L mill for the next-generation C63 should prove to be a worthy successor. Perhaps in the future those eight-bangers will make a list as revered as the one below.
1) C63 AMG
Stateside, these are still available in coupe and sedan form, but not for long. These 451-horsepower “future classics” will soon be gone.
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2) C63 AMG Black Series
Unfortunately, the well-balanced, tire-shredding Black Series has already departed, as have its 510 horses and DTM touches. On the bright side, you can still order the Edition 507 Package on the “regular” C63 coupe (if there is such a thing).
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3) SLS AMG
The SLS’s M159 V8 has the same displacement as the M156, but that’s about it. More than 120 parts, including the intake, exhaust and oiling systems were swapped out to increase horsepower to 571.
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4) E63 AMG
This incognito ICBM, in both W211 and W212 guises, concealed a 518-horsepower warhead.
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5) CLS63 AMG
Like the E-Class, the AMG-spec CLS used to be powered by the old supercharged 5.4-liter V8. It eventually graduated to the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter unit. Now you can graduate to its swoopy looks and M5-rivaling performance for around $35,000 on the secondary market.
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6) S63 AMG
A real executive express, and the S600’s crazy brother that rode 518 horses around town.
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7) SLS AMG Black Series
This contender for the Road & Track 2013 Performance Car of the Year award cranked out 622 ponies, making it a higher performer than the base SLS, and more powerful than the SLS GT3 race car.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
