Don't you just love Q-cars? There's nothing better than being able to make rapid progress without being noticed by your fellow road users... 'til it's too late and you've motored past them. And they're even better when they're cheap. I reckon Mercedes-Benz has made some of the best of the lot over the years - and although you might argue that the outgoing C63 AMG isn't a bad effort at looking discrete, I'd say the 1997-2000 C43 AMG is much, much better at being invisible.
Big V8, small Merc - we're still enjoying the concept
Why? Well look at it. For all intents and purposes, it looks like Millennial Ronnie Rep's C200 in Sport trim. But, in fact, it's a 306hp 4.3-litre, V8-powered, E36-generation BMW M3 rival, which comes with a characteristic AMG bellow and acceleration that easily matches its Munich rival without the need to resort to changing gear yourself. De-badge it, and no one else would stand a chance.
The C43 AMG was launched in 1997, and it followed on from the straight-six C36 AMG. That first AMG W202 C-Class was good enough with its 280hp straight-six - but its replacement was undeniably altogether more special. Not least because the W202 marked a step change in the relationship between AMG and Mercedes-Benz, too, being the first car assembled from scratch (as opposed to upgraded) at the former's factory in Affalterbach. It was also the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class powered by the M113 V8 engine. Time to pause and reflect what followed.
Just as with what seems like all AMGs, the C43 explodes into life with an infectious V8 woofle when you spark it up - and that sets high expectations. Setting off, it feels slightly aloof and inert at low speeds, but once you crank things up, it sprints like a kicked cat - all fury and drama. But the noise that accompanies this surging acceleration is epic - a thread that seems common to all V8 AMGs. It might not be quite as involving as an M3 - certainly in terms of steering - but the C43 AMG is more rewarding in so many other ways.
Dismiss it as a simplistic hot rod at your peril
Importantly for the bar room banter, with all that power, allied with a maximum torque output of 302lb ft, the C43 is still genuinely quick today, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds. It's limited - of course - to 155mph, but Mercedes-Benz unofficially claimed it could hit 168mph when de-restricted. And unlike the old C36, the C43's five-speed auto is snappy and responsive, thanks to AMG modifications.
As with what seems like far too many Benzes built in the late-90s, the C43 AMG isn't as solid as it might be, coming from Stuttgart's infamous cost-cutting era. It has far from unimpeachable reliability, and bodywork is prone to corrosion if not obsessively garaged.
But if you're thinking of doing your bit to save this endangered species, there are other problems to watch out for, too. The automatic gearboxes were known to pack-up when younger for a start. It's reckoned by marque experts that the majority of C43 AMGs with more than 50,000 miles on the clock are likely to have a rebuilt or replacement gearbox - so check it shifts as it should. Other considerations are flaky and expensive wiper motors, poor sun roof motors, and boots that don't open properly.
But don't let that little list put you off - the C43 AMG is a great car, wrongly overshadowed by the older 190E 2.3 and 2.5 Cosworths. Disappointingly, it remained in production for a little more than two years - a scant reward for the work that went into it.
Want to know the best news about these thundering Q-cars? Numbers are thinning (there are 230 left on the road in the UK out of a total run of 4,200 cars, but values have yet to adjust to its impending endangered species status, and you can pick one up for the ridiculously modest sum of around £2,000.
Seriously. Take a look at the example we surfed to in the PH classifieds. With a not-unreasonable 134,000 miles on the clock, the private seller has owned it for more than five years, maintained it himself or via specialists, and aside from a couple of rust spots on the replacement bonnet, it looks set for years of hard use ahead. And all this V8 lusciousness could be yours for the price of a 10-year old misery-spec Volkswagen Golf, at its advertised £2,450. Quite.
And just think of all the cars you'll scalp - for a fraction of their price. Buy now before the few that are left start to seriously appreciate...