The decision to drop the V8 engine from the Mercedes-AMG C63 for a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid has been met with criticism, with detractors believing the super sedan had moved away from its roots.
Mercedes-AMG boss Michael Schiebe recently told the UK’s Car magazine that the switch has led to a departure of long-standing customers, with buyers not interested in the four-cylinder’s improved performance, instead missing the throbbing V8 soundtrack.
While Mercedes has nevertheless ruled out bringing back the V8 to the C63, that doesn’t mean one can’t fit in the sedan, as Austrian tuner Vuk Manufaktur has shown.
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Claimed to have been born out of two years of development, Vuk has fitted the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine from the previous-generation W205 C63 into the new W206 C63 S E Performance, replacing its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Though there’s no doubt the conversion would’ve been a complex job, the W206 C-Class is based on the same MRA2 platform as the new S-Class, which is also available with the M177 V8 engine that powered the previous C63.
However, it doesn’t really matter how it was done, with prospective buyers instead caring about the return of that rumbling V8 under the bonnet.
Vuk also managed to retain the C63’s 4Matic all-wheel drive system, rather than cut corners and make its converted sedan rear-wheel drive only.
The tuning specialist – which has a limited online presence – has only said that the new engine produces 456kW, considerably more than the 375kW output of the last V8-powered C63.
This is still down on the 500kW power figure of the C63 S E Performance, however that’s due in part to the plug-in hybrid system, which provides significant assistance to the 350kW four-cylinder engine.
Unfortunately Vuk is yet to detail how much the conversion costs, though it’s not likely to be cheap given the factory-level amount of effort which went into the swap.
The specialist has also previously fitted a V12 engine to the Mercedes-AMG G63, creating one of the wildest G-Wagens in the world.
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