Not often you drive a car with nearly $44,000 worth of options, but my, what options they are. This 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series coupe is flat-out fast, looks like a DTM car, and is as much fun to drive as any Benz in recent history. The V8 is terrific, with gobs of torque down low and plenty of horsepower to push this car well into the danger zone in an instant. And while some among us will kick and scream about the gearbox, this automatic unit, which can be dialed up to operate in Comfort, Sport, Sport+ or manual modes, works just fine. Rev-matching downshifts and fast upshifts, not as fast as a dual-clutch unit, but for street driving, this transmission was just fine. The exhaust note is deep and loud, just what you want from a big V8.
The car has monster grip, allowing me take some back-road corners as fast as anything I’ve driven. And tires never once screamed out in mercy. The car just stuck to the pavement and went around the corner. The steering in this car, while still having a bit of play on-center, is fast and direct. On varying pavement, the monster 19-inch tires require some work to keep the car running straight, as it wants to tramline. The brakes are outstanding, too.
This is a very special car, as much because of its relative scarcity as its price tag or performance resume. AMG allegedly built somewhere around 800, most all of which are spoken for, with only, er, some undisclosed number of those coming the U.S. Despite my best efforts badgering my friends at Mercedes-Benz USA, the actual numbers remain an internal secret. Regardless, the odds of ever seeing more than one or two on the road (unless perhaps you live in Miami or Los Angeles) are fantastically low—which explains why it seems as though every other car you encounter while driving this Black Series carries a camera- (or cell phone-) wielding occupant snapping off pics like a manic automotive spy photographer.
The well-engineered hot-rod nature of the C63 Black Series inspired a friend of mine—a hard-core car guy—to comment, “This is like a German Mustang GT500,” and I knew what he meant immediately; it was not an insult. From the heavy controls to the angry intake and exhaust noises to the seat-deforming acceleration, you know always that you are in a Mercedes-built machine, but one that tangents violently away from its base model. This car has as much in common with a normal C-coupe, in terms of feel, feedback and performance, as a base-model Mustang does to the drag-strip melting Shelby model. Not much, in other words.
The engine and exhaust sounds do not overwhelm the experience unless you punch your right foot all the way through the floorboard; otherwise, the Black Series returns surprisingly low decibel readings more than appropriate and comfortable for cruising and conversing. The only thing that will potentially disrupt a relaxing drive—should you want to use this car for such a task in the first place—is the unforgiving ride on roads that feature significant expansion joints, frost heaves, cracks, etc.—this is a stiff suspension designed to kill corners, not coddle driver and passengers. As a result, and as we’ve noted on other Black Series offerings, the ride frequency over certain types of uneven highway is porpoise-like at times, exhibiting a fair amount of vertical choppiness that potentially becomes tiresome on long stretches. The track-tunable suspension is adjustable manually with tools, but I did not get into messing with the factory setup.
