2009 Mercedes C63 P30 Gets the ‘One-Take’ Treatment
Not All Cars Have a “Loud Button,” But This C63 P30 Sure Does
“C63 people and muscle car people do all the same stuff,” says Matt Farah, face of The Smoking Tire. He’s right, too, because the Mercedes C63 AMG is nothing short of a Bavarian muscle car. And a good one, at that.
Taking the lead role in one of TST’s recent “One Take” productions is this white 2009 C63 belonging to Sean of San Diego. It features tasteful modifications that include an ECU tune providing “exaggerated throttle blips.” It’s likely a feature you didn’t even know you wanted. The car also sports a few extra horses, with help from deleted secondary catalytic converters and resonators, and air boxes borrowed from the euro-spec car.
Furthermore, this C63 houses one of AMGs most well-loved engines of the past quarter-century: the M156 V8. This engine is so popular, that when new C63s became available with the smaller turbo V8, Mercedes chose to keep its remaining stock of 6.3-liter cars on showroom floors.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Loud C63
While its replacement, a twin-turbo 5.5-liter unit, produces just as much grunt as the old 6.3, the M156 represents everything awesome about an atmospheric V8. Oh, that sound! Sean has had a “Loud Button” installed on his key fob, too. It allows him to open the exhaust bypass valve, typically reserved for sport mode, at will. The result is a sonorous bellow that occupies a low enough frequency of the sound spectrum to carry for quite some distance.
There’s no need to revisit all of the reasons why journalists like Chris Harris and Jeremy Clarkson have all owned, or wished to own, C63s. The car is a comically-fun hoonmobile that fits nicely into MB’s long history. That Sean has been able to enjoy one at a reduced price, and make a few functional mods in the process, is a credit to his good taste.
