You know the drill with test mules; base car leaves factory for road and track testing and gets papped in progressively reduced levels of disguise. Early doors it'll look properly rough, covered with improvised bodywork, black tape and whatever headlights and other bits that were lying about on the workshop shelf. Close to production it'll be more or less complete, the minimum of swirly camo covering the final trim details.
S-Class Coupe
spotted outside AMG's Affalterbach HQ is a bit different though. Because when you see it side-on it very clearly isn't an
S63 Coupe
you expected at all, having had a significant chop to its wheelbase and overall length. The lack of disguise is an interesting policy and perhaps less attention seeking than sending it out covered in camo.
But what the hell is it? Likely not a version of the S-Class Coupe, that's for sure. And if it were a mid-life update for the AMG GT you'd expect it'd be easier to just tape up an existing car and do the numbers on the mechanical updates without attracting too much attention. E-Class coupe perhaps? Traditionally there's only been one mid-level coupe in the range and with the C-Class offered with everything from four-cylinder petrols and diesels to a 510hpV8 you'd have to say that has most bases covered.
Going by the proportions and effort that's gone into the disguise our money is on the next generation SL. We've only just driven the facelifted car in both civilian and AMG forms but with that hitting the market it'd make sense for Mercedes to direct the team onto the next model, even if it's a few years off yet.
Unless anyone has any better ideas?
[Photos: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]