It’s been nearly forty years since the first surprise debut of the 4-door amg saloon. Today, history repeats itself. This time around, it is with an off-track-special which is based on the wonderful 420kW S63 Red Sow.
The four-door 300SEL 6.8 was referred to as the Red Sow because of its colour, which was red. In the 1971 24 heures de Spa-Francorchamps competition, it was the heaviest and swiftest beast by a good margin, and it ultimately finished in second position. To celebrate the comeback of the Red Sow, mercedes-benz invited top car enthusiasts and media to Bernie Ecclestone’s Le Castellet circuit in the south of France. The main attraction of the pit were the re-engine 2011 S63 AMG that was liveried up to match the 1971 racer, together with expert time travelers Hans Heyer and the driver of the original Red Sow, Clemens Schickentanz.
Even though the 2011 vehicle basically utilizes a stock body, it also shows off flared wings, a 20 inch wheel and tyre which is the widest pairing possible, a fairly modified spoiler kit, and low drag mirrors. Nice period details which are similar to the original Red Sow include rubber latches to hold the lids, sports a no bumber design, and also a reasonably conditional roll-cage that features a significant single transverse column, which worked wonders in reinforcing a particularly inflexible four-door design.
As opposed to the first Red Sow that has four Bosch foot-ball sized auxiliary driving lights, the 2011 S63 AMG sports a new look with rounded Bosh stickers that have no less than LEDs. Sufficient to accelerate the vehicle that weighs 2.1 tons from -100km/h in 4.4 seconds, is its twin turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine, which collects 420kW at 660 rounds each minute and 900Nm from 2500 to 3750 rpm. Moreover, the Performance Kit has compound brakes, a 275/35 front and 325/30 sports suspension that involve 45mm flares around. A similar 7-speed AT transmission as the Mercedes-benz SL63 is utilized in the S63.
Theoretically, the brand new Red Sow could easily break the 320 km/h or 200mph barriers with flying colours. However, the substantial weight that is added to the heavy downforce would just possibly place a lot of strain the tires.
Design wise, the new automobile is a chauffeur’s car rather than a race car. Its gear shifting is column-mounted, and the instrumentation can only be considered modern if we were within the design freeze in 2001. Dimensionally, the revolutionary Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG has obviously been subjected to a fattening diet program to say the least. Nevertheless, once you have 420kW and 900Nm to handle, you really can’t complain.
