24 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016

FIRST DRIVES.

SHADES

OF SLAY

Today’s four-seater sports coupes must be all

things to all people : poser, mile-muncher and

track slayer. Nailed it! ByWayneBatty

S

HOULDERSJUSTBELOWthe windowsills, you

sit low on optional ‘performance’ seat s that look

madder and hug harder, in a cabin coatedin Artico,

aluminiumand carbon fibre. Grab the flat-bottomed

part-nappa-trimmed wheel, hit the starter, toggle to

Sport Plus on the AMG Dynamic Select switch, enga ge Drive

on the column stalk and launch.

A 375kW power station slingshots you forward like you’re a

medieval boulder on a castle crushing mission. The difference

is the sound. Instead of a deathly quietwhooshas you cleave

the air, this 1725kg Stuttgartian boulder makes the sound of

modern warfare in Dolby Surround 7.1. Through the wide

open exhaust flap it’s all artillery fire, mortars and

background anger. Only one car sounds moreferocious, but

we won’t mention that British F-word here.

Approaching the frontline, it’s time to pick sides so you ease

off the throttle pedal and call on the meaty 390mm diameter

retarders (360mm at the rear) to trim off the exce ss. The

7-speed MCT transmission blips the throttle twice as it drops

two cogs and you turn in, the dynamic engine mounts in

Viagra mode taming the V8’s inertia. The steering’s a real al ly

providing all the intel and appropriate resistance to pick your

way accurately and confidently through the corner. With a

rear track – 50mm up over the sedan – now as wide as the old

Black Series coupe and the electronically contro lled limited-

slip differential sorting the traction for you like Hamilton

himself you turn the power fully ba ck on like Eskom after

another tariff hike.

For once the ride’s not ro ck hard, but in this setting the

three-stage dampers have a shor t fast rebound action that at

speed is akin to the buffeting of a ski boat on choppy water.

MERCEDES-AMG C63 S COUPE

50