Benz goes back in Black Series

The 4.0-litre CRT M3 finale-party has officially been crashed by the boys at AMG, with the unveiling of the long-awaited C63 AMG Black Series.

Beyond the fattened guards, aero detailing and carbonfibre-interior injection, here’s the stats you need to know about the most hardcore C-Class ever. The 6.2-litre nat-atmo V8 gets a full-cream 380kW and 620Nm, hooking up to a new seven-speed MCT with a race-start function for 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds. The 19inch alloys are 11kg lighter than the regular C63, housed under guards that are 28mm wider to accommodate substantial track increases of 40mm (front) and 79mm (rear).

Red-painted six-piston front/four-piston rear fixed callipers help reign in the speed, and ultra-firm and aggressively-contoured tombstone sports seats keep the driver and passenger placed during mid-corner Gs. The rear-seat bench has been deleted – the Black is strictly a two-seater. Like the regular C63 AMG Coupe, the ESC features a ‘Sport Handling Mode’ between its on or off settings.

Options include an exterior carbonfibre package, matte-black alloys, and fire extinguisher.

Fond memories of the CLK 63 AMG Black Series ring strong in the minds of many Wheels staffers since that car’s launch in 2007. If the CLK Black’s brilliantly-executed racecar-for-the-road philosophy translates to the C63 Black, there’s every reason that the M3 – CRT or otherwise – could get knocked off its perch.