Mercedes-AMG C63 and GT - Paris 2014

Inside line on Mercedes-AMG's Paris stars from a (development) man in the know

A busy show for Mercedes at Paris. There is, after all, a facelifted B-Class to talk about. Oh, and a couple of new AMG products too.

Let's concentrate on the latter shall we? The covers actually came off both cars before the show at a preview event but the Mondial de l'Automobile is the public debut for both the Mercedes-AMG GT and the C63. And to get the lowdown on both we had a chat with Oliver Wiech, Director for Vehicle Development at AMG. An Affalterbach man for 16 years his career has seen him working closely alongside now boss Tobias Moers so it's safe to say he's closely aligned with the management regime now in place. Starting with engine development he worked on the Kompressor era M112 V6s and M113 V8s from - respectively - the C32/SLK32 and SL55 (and everything else). He then graduated to managing entire vehicle programmes, starting with the outgoing W204 C63 AMG and now responsible for everything other than the GT.

AMG man Oliver explains all about C63

Given that we already know the technical details and stats for both cars we thought we'd ask Oliver more generally about the shift in 'tone' for both the C63 and GT as AMG continues its evolution from tuner to integrated performance brand within the Mercedes empire. Specifically with the C63 we've got a car that is a lot more sophisticated than its predecessor with a plethora of modes and driver configurable settings. Given it's what rivals offer and what the market expects how can the new car satisfy that demand and yet also keep those who have always enjoyed the straightforward, no frills and plenty of thrills AMG recipe thus far?

"Basically I want a simple car - the boss of the car is the driver, with not too much electronics," says Wiech. "With the outgoing car you had one setting, now we want an open range." This comes with adaptive dampers - supplied by Bilstein - and driver configurable settings via the AMG Dynamic Select. But surely, even using a damper with various settings, the spring rate remains constant and there must be a fixed point or sweet spot where everything works best? Wiech deflects the question, saying the dampers allow true variability and a broader operating window that can accommodate everything from the commute to track days. Will fixed rate passive dampers and the like remain the preserve of Black Series cars and those for more traditional AMG fans? A smile and "Black Series cars are always based on coupes" is the reply.

Next PH long-termer sorted then...

Launching the C63 and GT together - both prefixed by the new Mercedes-AMG naming format - and with a common engine design at heart has meant a lot of work at AMG of late. But there have been benefits, not least shared technology from pooling development costs for features like active engine mounts and electronically controlled locking diffs, the former standard on the C63 and the latter featuring on the 510hp S version. "The components are different - the GT has a transaxle - but it's a common development," he says. "And even if they are mechanically different we can share the knowledge from a software and control elements."

Picking up on a question raised by PHers after the C63 was confirmed why, bluntly, is it still called the C63 and not the C40 given that it now displaces 4.0 litres? "In former times we compared the number to the displacement but we changed this with the E63 when it went to the 5.5-litre bi-turbo. We addressed the figures into a range of power," he explains. This follows the broader trend within Mercedes where the '45' range of A-Class, CLA and GLA AMGs sit in power terms between '400' V6s and '500' V8s in the main Mercedes line-up. Again looking at the A45 and its derivatives if they'd badged the C63 a C40 he reckons it would have confused customers by virtue of having a 'smaller' number. Put simply the number simply indicates a hierarchy of power within the AMG range and no longer has anything to do with displacement. Case closed.

Edition 1 C63 gets added red bits

So that's the badging. What about the sound and soul of the new V8, given that nearly all of the C63 owners we met recently put those attributes of the outgoing normally aspirated engine at the top of their 'loves' list? Can this really survive into the turbo era? Here a knowing smile - this probably isn't the first time he's addressed this question. "We developed the new engine not only to meet the numbers but also to satisfy the needs of our customers in this regard," he says. "For sure it is different but I guess we have enough experience in this area!" The fully variable exhaust flap in the exhaust - controlled by aforementioned AMG Dynamic Select - is one example of this, the optional sports exhaust expanding on this with a more complex three-flap system for even more control.

Proof, as ever, will be in the driving. Make ours an 'S' wagon...

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