{"id":887528,"date":"2026-09-11T00:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/887528\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T00:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:58:22","slug":"hardcore-mercedes-amg-cle-646-spezialanfertigung-revealed-with-475kw-v8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/887528\/","title":{"rendered":"Hardcore Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung revealed with 475kW V8"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung coupe has been revealed, packing a twin-turbo petrol V8 engine that produces 475kW (646hp, hence the name) and featuring a track-honed rear-wheel drive chassis.<\/p>\n

Limited to a global production run of just 250 cars, only 30 of which will be road-legal, the CLE 646 coupe is claimed to hit 100km\/h in 3.9 seconds, reach 200km\/h in 11.4 seconds, and hit 300km\/h in 36.2 seconds, on its way to a 310km\/h top speed.<\/p>\n

The CLE 646 is the second model from the Mercedes-Benz Mythos Series, which was announced as a sub-brand in 2022, following the wild, Formula 1-inspired 2024 Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed<\/a> which was based on the Mercedes-AMG SL<\/a> roadster.<\/p>\n

Mercedes-Benz Australia told CarExpert there are currently no plans to offer the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung to customers here.<\/p>\n

Looking for your next car?<\/p>\n

CarExpert can help you research<\/a>, compare<\/a> and buy<\/a> so you choose with confidence.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The German word \u2018Spezialanfertigung\u2019 translates to \u2018custom-built\u2019 in English, and while Mercedes-AMG will produce a total of 250, only 30 of the new flagship CLEs will be street-legal.<\/p>\n

This underlines its top-end, high-performance racetrack focus, which sees the regular six-cylinder CLE 53<\/a> on which the 646 is based given two extra cylinders, considerably more power and less weight.<\/p>\n

Debuting in the 646, which is effectively a limited-edition CLE 63, the most powerful production version yet of AMG’s 3982cc twin-turbo \u2018M177 Evo\u2019 V8 easily shaded the 330kW six-cylinder Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 currently in showrooms.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also more than the 450kW peak power output of the V8 engines that power both the AMG GT 63 S E Performance<\/a> and AMG S 63 E Performance<\/a>, although their hybrid systems lift their total outputs higher.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s the horsepower king, the special-edition coupe\u2019s V8 does not quite match the S 63\u2019s peak torque of 900Nm, but the 646 has a serious 850Nm on tap between 2500 and 4500rpm.<\/p>\n

It sends all this through a nine-speed transmission to the rear wheels only, with an electronic limited-slip differential aiding traction.<\/p>\n

Adding to the power is 48V mild-hybrid technology but, given its performance bent, many customers are unlikely to care for the addition of the 17kW\/250Nm integrated starter generator (ISG), as seen in a raft of Mercedes-Benz models.<\/p>\n

Ditching all-wheel drive, a common feature in most top-end AMG models including the GT 63 Pro<\/a> we track-tested earlier this year, helps the 646 shed 170kg from the mass of its CLE 53 donor car, bringing it to 1895kg.<\/p>\n

That gives the low-volume performance coupe a power-to-weight ratio of 250kW per tonne, alongside front\/rear weight distribution of 56\/44, with the weight loss achieved through targeted body modifications. These include an integrated roll cage, helping increase torsional rigidity.<\/p>\n

Like the GT 63 Pro, work has been done on engine cooling for sustained performance, with three separate cooling circuits respectively managing the charge-air, transmission and 48V electrical systems.<\/p>\n

It should also breathe and sound better thanks to a unique exhaust system from renowned brand Akrapovi\u010d, which also aids weight reduction through the use of lightweight titanium.<\/p>\n

The chassis employs a steel coil-over spring-and-damper setup developed with KW Suspension, including four-way adjustable dampers designed to aid low-speed agility and high-speed stability.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The braking system comprises AMG ceramic rotors measuring 420mm in diameter up front with six-piston calipers, with 360mm rear rotors squeezed by single-piston floating calipers.<\/p>\n

The system is bigger yet lighter than the standard CLE brakes, with the calipers painted gold.<\/p>\n

Mercedes-AMG said the brakes also use \u2018long-fibre\u2019 technology, which helps dissipate heat faster, reducing fade and prolonging stopping effectiveness.<\/p>\n

The technical package is housed in unique bodywork, which sits 22mm lower at the front axle and 16mm lower at the rear, and is a substantial 60mm wider at both ends.<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/p>\n

This enables the fitment of 20-inch wheels measuring 11 inches wide up front and 12 inches at the rear, fitted with 305\/30 and 335\/30 tyres, respectively.<\/p>\n

They sit beneath carbon-fibre front guards with open louvres above the wheel-arches, while intakes next to the headlights channel air through the fenders and out through other outlets.<\/p>\n

Redesigned front-bumper air intakes provide additional cooling, along with a central cold-air bonnet intake.<\/p>\n

The front aerodynamic strakes can be manually adjusted between Street and Race positions, with the Race setting adding front-axle downforce via a venturi effect to aid steering response.<\/p>\n

The 646 also boasts a flat floor, while a pair of carbon-fibre mounts sit on a reinforced boot lid for the massive rear wing, which is also adjustable. Its drag coefficient is 0.402Cd in the Street setting, and 0.417Cd in the Race position.<\/p>\n

Mercedes-AMG says the aerodynamic package generates 250kg of downforce at the wild coupe\u2019s 310km\/h top speed.<\/p>\n

The body is offered in a one-off exterior colour scheme, with the front section finished in Mojave Silver Magno, and Obsidian Black paintwork extending from the B-pillar back.<\/p>\n

Inside, the rear seats have been dumped, as have the stereo and automatic parking system, with a pair of ultra-lightweight racing bucket seats offering more lateral support up front.<\/p>\n

The door panels are made from carbon-fibre, while the flat-bottom AMG steering wheel is wrapped in microfibre and has fewer buttons thanks to the removal of several driving modes and features deemed not track-worthy.<\/p>\n

MORE: Explore the Mercedes-AMG showroom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung coupe has been revealed, packing a twin-turbo petrol V8 engine that produces 475kW…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":887529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":["post-887528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=887528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/887529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=887528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=887528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}