Not so long ago tuning a big Merc was easy. Say when an E63 had 476hp, a few simple tweaks could have it well above 500hp and the resulting car would be one of the fastest on the road. Now an E63 has 612hp
as standard
, meaning modified cars will inevitably be somewhere near 800hp. And, frankly, that's going to be a bit much for some buyers.
What to do? Carlsson's approach has been to enhance the luxury aspect of the fast Mercedes package with this, the 'Diospyros'
S-Class cabrio
. Interestingly this car is based on a regular S500 rather than an AMG product, further suggesting the Mercedes tuning scene is changing (and don't worry if you're a power-hungry traditionalist, Carlsson has also just launched
a 625hp C63
So what marks it out? Let's deal with the obvious stuff first. The Diospyros is painted 'Carlsson Heritage Green', developed with Standox and said to underline the car's "majestic appearance." The 20-inch wheels are unique to this installation, accompanied by a new Carlsson grille and what appears to be a small suspension drop too.
Power isn't the focus of this project, but then it might be tricky to charge 300,000 euros for an S500 cabrio that isn't any faster than standard. Therefore the Diospyros boasts another 95hp and 74lb ft for totals of 550hp and 590lb ft. Carlsson also says its upgrade ensures "more sovereignty". Answers on a postcard for that one...
The interior is where this car really changes the S-Class though, and where Carlsson has invested the most money and time. And the West African ebony. See the rear deck "reminiscent of luxurious boats of a bygone era", the upper dash and the central binnacle. The leather is 'Vintage Cognac', the seats are piped with the exterior colour and having white leather in a convertible is surely just asking for trouble.
Now a standard S500 AMG Line will set you back £110,120 in the UK; for this Diospyros Carlsson states prices are from 214,000 euros without VAT (£179,500) to 336,000 euros without VAT (£282,000) "depending on the engine and equipment." Best not get too carried away with the Vintage Cognac and the fancy wood then.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)