Believe it or not, there are four-cylinder C63s out there in the world; even one or two for sale in the UK, actually, for those that want to look. We’re doing everything possible to get hold of one, to see just how lots of power, lots of tech and lots of weight works for the AMG C-Class beyond sunny Spain. Until then, our attention can turn to tuning. Because, yes, there are folk already extracting more from a 680hp, hybridised AMG.
Manhart is now offering something called a CRE 700 package for the C63; as with Brabus’s work on electrified AMGs, it doesn’t touch batteries or motors. Instead, they've extracted even more performance from the hardest-working 2.0-litre turbo on the planet. (The fact that the CRE 700 doesn’t yet have TÜV approval and is only meant for export, when so many Manhart kits do have it, surely demonstrates the fact.) An additional MHtronik control unit means another 45hp and 74lb ft, somehow, so that means the M139l is rated at 514hp and 476lb ft. Accordingly, the total outputs are now 725hp and a wild 826lb ft. New cats and a sport downpipe promise a ‘significantly more powerful sound’. There aren’t performance claims yet - or any mention of a warranty - but it’ll surely improve on the standard C63’s numbers.
The CRE 700 also looks a little meaner than standard thanks to a 20mm drop on H&R springs; Manhart couldn’t resist a red accent on the standard 20-inch AMG wheels and some decorative stripes. The interior is unchanged from a regular model as ‘the tuners from Wuppertal saw no need for further enhancements.’
Anyone intrigued by the prospect of more than 700hp in a C-Class will be pleased to know that the CRE 700 box of tricks is on sale now. Manhart reckons its plug and play, and can be ‘easily installed without the original engine control unit being affected’. The cost is €3,899, or £3,350. Nothing, really, on a £100k AMG - assuming there’s one to be found, that is…
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