Unless you were one of just 30 to snap up this extreme sports coupe, you’ll just have to admire the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 here with the rest of us.
Mercedes has been on a special model kick this year, with two cars emerging from its high-performance, limited run Mythos series. We first had the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed two-seater back in January, and now we have an even more rarefied premiere: the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung.
Yes, that is its full name, but the last bit translates to “custom-made”, cluing you into this car being an extremely rare performance coupe. You could probably guess by the beefed up aerodynamics including the large itakes, hood scoop, flared fenders and massive rear wing that this isn’t going to be something you’ll just see in every Mercedes showroom, like the CLE53. The CLE 646 we have here is limited to a production run of just 30 units, which makes it about ten times rarer than even the insane PureSpeed.
Exactly what has the AMG shop cooked up with this special model?
This particular CLE rides on the same general platform as the CLE53, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Instead of a 3.0-liter inline-six under the hood, you get a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 putting out a whopping 637 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this engine (the M177 Evo), of course, but it is significant that we’re seeing a return to the V8 for a coupe like this as Mercedes makes an about-face from hybridized four-cylinder AMGs like the old C63. Moving forward, the C-Class and this CLE are getting the full-fat V8 once again, to the delight of enthusiasts everywhere.
Another drastic change from the CLE53 is the fact that this 646 (named for its metric 646 PS power output) is rear-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive. Power still makes its way to the back wheels through a 9-speed automatic transmission, though the switch to RWD and the AMG folks removing the rear seats and making extensive use of carbon fiber helps shed 375 pounds from its less powerful 53 sibling.
The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 is still a heavy bruiser of a sports coupe, though, weighing in at 4,178 pounds. Mercedes says this special edition can top out at 193 mph and sprint from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. That’s definitely quick, but in an age where most high-performance models manage times in the mid-threes…it’s actually not that much quicker than the CLE53 in a straight line. Still, the huge carbon ceramic brakes (16.5 inches at the front, 14.2 at the rear) with six-piston front calipers, four-way adjustable coilovers, wider stance and wide tire setup with 335/30-ZR20s in the rear and 305/30-ZR20s up front help its case everywhere else.
Now, even the AMG models usually bring an interior similar to their everyday counterparts. That is not the case here, though, since you get some proper racing bucket seats with six-point harnesses, carbon fiber door cards bereft of most switchgear you’d find in your daily drivers, and no rear seats at all. Instead, the CLE 646 gets more chassis stiffening, as well as less acoustic insulation and creature comforts all around to help save more weight. Even the steering wheel has gone on a diet, missing most of the driver assistance system switches you’d normally find.
About pricing for those 30 cars…
Usually, we’d wrap up discussing these special models with the typical question covering cost. At this point, we still don’t know, as Mercedes did not include that information. Even if they did, it’s academic, since all 30 examples have already sold out even before the car’s world premiere.
That said, the current Mercedes-AMG CLE53 starts at $78,850. This car almost certainly kicks that figure into the six-figure ball park. The only time we’ll really get a sense of how much the 646 is worth, though, is when those cars change hands at auctions…and that definitely won’t be cheap.
