When building a performance car, lighter is usually better. The less weight a car has to push around, the faster it can go. That’s why Mercedes-Benz AMG based the most hardcore version of its C63, the Black Series, on the C-Class coupe. But what if the kids want to come along for the ride? Edo Competition has the answer: a C63 AMG wagon.
Edo’s goal was to raise the C63 AMG wagon to the level of the Black Series coupe. With 451 horsepower (481 with an optional performance package) and 443 pound-feet of torque, the regular car was no slouch. Nonetheless, Edo upped the output to 591 hp and 501 lb-ft. The extra power comes from a new, freer-flowing exhaust system, new air filters, and a recalibrated ECU. The exhaust also has butterfly valves that open at high speeds to make the engine louder.
The C63 AMG Black Series coupe has 510 hp and 457 lb-ft, so the station wagon seems to have it beat. Edo says the wagon will do 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 4.1 seconds, which is 0.1 seconds faster than the Black Series. Not bad, considering that the wagon is hauling a lot more sheetmetal.
The Edo C63 AMG wagon will keep accelerating well past 60 mph. The tuner says the wagon will have a 211 mph top speed, putting this grocery getter in Ferrari and Lamborghini territory.
The perfect sports car should be an uncompromising machine, but the temptation always exists to put everything in one package. The Black Series may prove to be the better car to drive, but it would be useless on a family vacation. The technicians at Edo are not the only people thinking this way, either. Is this tuned wagon any stranger than Lamborghini’s upcoming SUV?
Station wagons are an endangered species; they seem terminally uncool compared to SUVs. With Porsche and Lamborghini choosing SUVs as their practical performance platforms, the wagon has been left behind. That’s too bad; at least wagons are based on cars, which tend to drive better on the road than SUVs.
In addition to being faster than the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, the Edo wagon will also be rarer. Less than 100 Black Series coupes were earmarked for the United States, and all are spoken for. However, no wagons will be coming to the U.S., since the stock C63 AMG wagon on which the Edo car is based isn’t sold here. If you still want a performance car that can also haul two-by-fours, don’t worry. There’s always the 518 hp E63 AMG wagon, or the 556 hp Cadillac CTS-V.
