After a week of ownership, I've finally got round to introducing the new member of the Palmball family....and what a model it is!

This is my second C63 and one made exactly how I always wanted it; white bodywork with cream interior (it looks very.....Beverley Hills... which over here is quite a risky combination!), leather dash and, of course, with the Performance Package Plus (P31 to everyone outside the UK!) giving the much needed extra 30bhp. I also opted to collect the car from the factory which in itself was a fantastic and flawless experience.

So, I'll start with describing just how good the factory collection option is.

Firstly, to us in the UK and Europe, it's free (well, in a way you're paying for it as you still have to pay for 'delivery'....yet you have to 'deliver' it yourself!).

The package includes business class flights to Stuttgart, all taxi transfers, one night in a 4-5* hotel of your choice (from a set list), evening meal and breakfast. They also give a you a 2 hour tour of the factory and after you collect your car, it's provided with a full tank of fuel, temporary German plates and insurance for any driver and the Eurostar / Ferry crossing back home to England. In effect, you could end up paying nothing for the trip except for fuel - which in the C63 meant it still cost me around £200 to get home! The whole experience was seamless and extremely well organised (they apparently process between 150 and 450 factory collections per day depending on day and time of year) and if anyone orders a new car and has the option of factory collect, I cannot recommend enough just how you MUST take this option.

The 700 mile drive home took about 12 hours including the Eurotunnel crossing although I did stop off in Affalterback at the AMG Factory again.

I've decided to drive the car back to them in a few weeks to get the lower half of the dash covered in leather so I wanted to finalise in person what they were going to do and what they were going to charge me!

Even though I only went to see them a couple of months ago in my first C63, I was treated to another demonstration of what they can do in the AMG Design Studio. If I had a limitless budget, the sheer amount of personalisation available is out of this world.

After I got home, I took the car to the dealer who PDI'd, registered and taxed it (and took off the German plates ). And then guess what happened about 30 seconds after leaving the dealer whilst sat in traffic??...some arsehole in a high rise flat in the middle of Birmingham egg'd the bonnet of my shiny new car from about 5 floors up Not happy...especially as it took some effort to get the now fried egg off the car when I got home (although I've got to hand it to the *****; it was a good shot from the distance he was!).

In the last week I've also had the rear windows tinted (MB don't offer a factory tint on the saloon but do on the estate ) and I've also had the front bumper and lights covered in Paintshield to protect it from stone chips. Now, I'm not exactly exstatic about the Paintshield as gives the front bumper a creamy tint and it's already showing signs of dirt along the edges Is this the price to pay for a stonechip-free front end??

Anyway, what about the car?

Well, I think you all know just what a rude car the C63 is, but since it's 2 months since I sold my first one, I was yet again amazed at the sound this car makes. There's really nothing like it either from inside or hearing it drive by.

The interior quality is exceptional; the leather dash option, whilst only covering the top part of the dash (and the top bits of the door trims not already leather covered), really does transform the interior into something very special and expensive looking.

The guys at AMG showed me how they did it and the leather option really is hand finished and to a very high standard. Despite the original factory fitted (plastic) dash needing to be removed, covered in leather and then refitted, I'm relieved that there's not a single squeak, rattle or vibration.

So, performance wise, can I tell the difference between my first P30 and my new P31?? Well, initially couldn't really tell much difference between the two but I do think this was more to do with the two-month gap between driving them.

Now I've run it in (it's already breezed past 1k miles), I can now definitely confirm the difference at the top end, which above 5000rpm is very obvious. So much so that at over 5000rpm the acceleration actually takes your breath away and in manual mode you've got to be extremely quick to pull on the paddle to stop it running into the limiter. In normal driving it feels just like a slightly freer revving version of the old one; at the top end, it feels like it has more than the 30bhp that AMG officially say it has.

Here's some pictures of the collection centre in Stuttgart....




Yep, like the AMG factory, they even put out the flags of the nationalities picking a car up that day...






The first time I saw my new car coming out from the back of the factory....








A very proud me...




And some more pictures after a day detailing it. Firstly, I cleaned the bodywork with some Dodo Juice Lime Prime and my random orbital polisher, then I polished it with some Autoglym Super Resin Polish to ensure the surface was perfect, then I put on a coat of Swissvax Best of Show. I finished it off with some Dodo Juice Red Mist detailing spray....














And now some final shots of the interior....

Congrats on your car. The leather wrap is awesome. Is this an option available for others or you have special privileges?

Its that best looking c63 i've ever seen. I wish we can get the leather wrap here in the U.S so it won't look cheap like the one we get...

A great looking car and thanks for fantastic write-up on the delivery process.

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Lovely car and nice combination of colors. Thanks for the interesting write up. Euro plates look so much better than North American ones.

It's available to all... who are willing to pay the few extra $$$

It looks amazing - congrats on the car !

That is simply beautiful.. My car does not have that sliding door over the cupholders.. That is neat.

Thanks for the comments guys - glad you like it!

Re the cupholders - I don't think the Euro-spec ones will be big enough to hold the huge sizes available in the States hence you have bigger and cupholders which cannot be covered!

The leather dash should be available to all - cost me an extra £2200 but as you guys in the US get things so much cheaper, you'll probably be looking at the same amount in $$'s!

The local dealer did not seem knowledgeable about the custom leather wrapping Thanks for the info. I would not dare give this job to a local shop.

cool story bro. nice car. i cant believe u got egged like that. some insanely jealous ****s over around.

Thanks for posting the Factory Delivery Pickup Option, that is great first hand info for us plebs (referring to me).

You should be happy and proud ...... hope you really enjoy your new C63.

Wow makes me wish i had dual citizenship and funds to be able to experience that sort of thing . Great post man , VERY BEAUTIFUL AUTOMOBIL . And thats how going to buy your car should be done .

Did you put the lock nut on the wheel or is that factory? I didn't get a lock nut with mine?

I wish the P31 was available in Australia. I just don't know about the red calipers. Would be good to see them in real life I guess.

Hey mine came with lock nuts! get your dealer to put some on for you.

And as for the red calipers! they look alot better in real life! my friend just got an e63 with red calipers, and OMG the car is immaculate!!

That white on beige looks amazing, i wish i lived in europe!!

PalmBall: congratulations mate! awesome write up too.. too bad about that sod who threw the egg on your bonnet! i have to admit the Performance Package Plus is a really nice touch. your colour combination of the interior is perfect!

Looks nice! Congrats!