► Mercedes C63 DTM racer unveiled
► Alongside Edition One C63 and S road cars
► Find all three at the 2015 Frankfurt IAA show
Meet the 2016 Mercedes C63 DTM racer. Featuring an aero package sharper than a Great White’s incisors, a kerb weight more suited to an MX-5 rival and a riotous 483bhp and 369lb ft of torque, the German touring car championship challenger makes its public debut at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show, and it’s guaranteed to turn heads.
Ditching the forced induction route taken by the latest road-going C63, the DTM racer reverts to a naturally aspirated V8, this time in a 4.0-litre format. Not quite the 6.2-litre guzzler found in the old C63 AMG, but it will no doubt sport the kind of thunderous soundtrack that’s music to race fans’ ears.
Hang on… it’s less powerful than the new C63 S road car?
You’re not wrong. But, and it’s a big but, this C63 DTM racer tips the scales at just 1120kg, the minimum weight limit in the German touring car series. That’s a staggering 438bhp per tonne, which puts it comfortably above the hardly measly 295bhp per tonne you get in the road-going C63 S.
Apart from the hard-to-miss aero package on the DTM car, it also gets a six-speed sequential gearbox, a mechanical limited-slip diff and a carbonfibre driveshaft to put all of that power though. The underlying chassis is an evolution of this season’s car, and a similar design to the rest of the grid, as a product of DTM rules and regulations.
Can I have one for the road, please?
No chance. But fear not DTM fans, an ‘Edition One’ version of the C63 and C63 S coupe road cars will also be unveiled at Frankfurt. Although side by side the Edition one looks just a little bit tame in comparison to the DTM car, you do get the same grey and yellow striped livery on the S variant (although not on the non-S version). Both Edition Ones will boast a bigger front spoiler, rear diffuser and a more acutely angled rear spoiler over the regular models, while power remains the same 469bhp and 479lb ft of torque for the C63, and 503bhp and 516lb ft for the S.
Prices are yet to be confirmed for the Edition One, but as is the way with special editions, expect to pay a premium over regular C63 and C63 S models.