Look at that guy. Cruising serenely down a beautiful mountain road in, I guess, Portugal? Wind in his hair, not a care in the world. Seems relaxing, right? Not if our guy puts his right foot down: That's the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet he's driving, packing 503 tire-shredding horsepower and the delightful terror of rear-wheel drive. Buckle up, Chas.
Yes, Mercedes has officially raised the roof all the way off of the AMG C63 and C63 S. Powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 making 469 horsepower and 479 lb.-ft. of torque in the C63, or 503 ponies and 516 lb.-ft in the C63 S, this drop-top promises to be just as much of a riot as the coupe. Mercedes claims a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds for the C63, 4.0 for the S, each car a tenth of a second slower than the C63 coupe.
Both C63 and C63 S send their power exclusively to the rear wheels (unlike the all-wheel drive Mercedes-AMG C43 with its twin-turbo V6 down 103 horses) via a seven-speed transmission. Standard AMG Ride Control adaptive dampers control the ride, while four transmission modes and three stability control modes let you custom tailor your level of dynamicness. An optional AMG Performance exhaust lets you open up the mufflers at the touch of a button to really blast your earballs with glorious AMG noise, while optional carbon ceramic brakes (15.8" up front, 14.2" out back) haul it down to a halt.
While the lighter, more rigid C63 coupe is obviously the pure driver's choice, a muscle-Mercedes drop top satisfies every desire for grand top-down touring. The Mercedes-AMG C63 cabriolet goes on sale in the U.S. this fall.
Bob Sorokanich previously served as deputy editor of Road & Track Magazine. He is based in New York City.
