Mercedes-AMG has revealed the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung, a limited-run coupe built around a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 producing 637 horsepower, or 646 PS, which gives the car its name. Only 30 units will be built, and Mercedes-AMG says every one has already been sold before the reveal.
The car is the second entry in AMG's Mythos series of limited-production models, following the roofless PureSpeed roadster based on the SL63. Spezialanfertigung translates roughly to custom-made, and the CLE 646 is built from the AMG CLE53 but reworked in ways that go far beyond a trim upgrade.
Mercedes-Benz owns AMG as its in-house performance division, and the wider Mercedes-Benz brand spans everything from S-Class saloons to electric EQ models. A hand-built, 30-unit V-8 coupe sold out before its own unveiling is at the far end of that range from a mainstream sedan.
What changed under the hood
The V-8 uses a flat-plane crankshaft to cut rotating mass and sharpen throttle response, and it runs three separate cooling circuits, one for the engine and two low-temperature loops covering turbo charge air, transmission oil and the car's 48-volt electrical system. Torque is rated at 627 pound-feet.
Exhaust duties go to a titanium system developed with Akrapovic to save weight while giving the V-8 a distinct note. The most significant break from the CLE53 is in how power reaches the road: the CLE 646 sends everything to the rear wheels through a nine-speed automatic and an electronic limited-slip differential, dropping all-wheel drive entirely.
Mercedes-AMG puts the 0-to-62-mph sprint at 3.9 seconds, with 124 mph arriving in a claimed 11.4 seconds and a top speed of 193 mph. Those figures come from a road-legal car built for track use, not a concept, and the brand says the specification is final for all 30 examples.
How the body and chassis were reworked
The body is 2.4 inches wider than the standard CLE53, with added structural reinforcement for stiffness. Carbon fiber covers the front fenders, the rest of the front end, the side sills, the hood, the roof and the rear bumper, and those fenders carry large air outlets cut directly into the panels.
Mercedes-AMG says the changes bring the CLE 646 in around 375 pounds lighter than the CLE53, helped by a polycarbonate rear window and rear side windows plus a smaller 12-volt starter battery. A rear diffuser, stacked quad exhaust outlets and a rear wing with a manually adjustable center section complete the aerodynamic package.
Mercedes-AMG claims that package generates over 550 pounds of downforce at top speed, aided by intakes across the front end that also feed cooling air to the engine and brakes. The grille now extends down to the front splitter, joined by a wide vent cut into the hood.
Suspension is a steel-sprung coilover setup with four-way adjustable dampers, letting low-speed and high-speed rebound and compression be tuned independently. Braking comes from ventilated, perforated carbon-ceramic discs measuring 16.5 inches at the front and 14.2 inches at the rear, gripped by six-piston front calipers and single-piston rear units.
The car rides on 20-inch forged wheels wrapped in 305/30 front and 335/30 rear tires, a wide footprint built to match the extra downforce and the rear-drive-only power delivery. That tire spread also signals the CLE 646's track focus over daily comfort, a point the stripped-out cabin reinforces further.
What the cabin gives up for weight
The interior drops the rear seats and acoustic insulation entirely and swaps in a simpler sound system alongside racing bucket seats. AMG has also cut the number of drive modes and assistance systems and reduced the steering wheel's control count, stripping the car back to essentials.
An optional Performance package adds six-point harnesses for track use, and the door panels are now carbon fiber as well. Every material choice in the cabin mirrors the exterior's weight-saving logic, treating comfort features as mass to be removed rather than equipment to be kept.
What is missing and what comes next
Mercedes-AMG has not disclosed pricing for the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung, and the brand offers no comparison figure against the CLE53's $78,850 US starting price for its all-wheel-drive sibling. All examples were reportedly allocated before the car's public unveiling.
The CLE 646 arrives eight months after Mercedes-AMG first teased the project in January, and it follows the PureSpeed as the second car confirmed under the Mythos banner. No date has been given for when deliveries to the 30 buyers will begin.
Sources
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