SPIED: Mercedes-AMG C63 R Coupe Will Bring a Fight to the Track

By Manuel Carrillo III - October 6, 2016

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe at Willow Springs International Raceway. The C63 S was great. It did everything you’d expect a 503-horsepower luxury coupe to do. I also drove the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R and the Jaguar F-TYPE R SVR on track at Big Willow yesterday. I mention those cars because the 526-horsepower Mustang felt more like a racecar, and was better on the track, and the 575-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Jaguar was simply a grander experience in terms of speed and cornering ability.

But now Mercedes-AMG is cooking up something that’s sure to move their C-Class platform up in my overall speed experience ranking, and it’s the car you see above and in the gallery below: the Mercedes-AMG C63 R Coupe. Mercedes would have formerly called a car of this race-inspired caliber a Black Series, but apparently that’s no longer in the cards. According to our spy photographers, Mercedes is moving away from its former Black Series terminology.

With this R-level sports coupe, AMG adds a new front splitter, and a ginormous rear wing affixed to the trunk lid. Expect more power under the hood to complement the more aggressive aerodynamics, and a more track-focused suspension. Our spy shooter said that while this was being put through its paces at the Nürburgring, it was making a big noise and achieving some big speeds.

Will that be enough noise to speed to out-shout and out-hustle yesterday’s track king, the Mustang Shelby GT350R? We’ll just have to wait and see.