Fast And Furious Luxury
by Brian Douglas

Muscle cars have been around since the ’60s and they still have great appeal to enthusiasts who love V8 power and the sound of a rumbling exhaust. Apparently, more than a few baby boomers just don’t want to give up their muscle machine, but have acquired both the income and sophistication to drive a luxury car. Add younger, affluent buyers to the mix, and there appears to be quite a market for luxury muscle.

Mercedes Benz and BMW were both early players in the luxury high-performance segment with AMG and M-type models that were prepared by racing subsidiaries. Today, every European luxury brand offers a performance model in its lineup. Even Cadillac has joined the hot rod gathering with its CTS V-Series.

The current lineup of AMG-modified Mercedes vehicles is fairly extensive. The wonderfully entertaining C32 coaxes nearly 350 horsepower from its supercharged V-6 to propel the sedan from 0 to 60 in under five seconds. And it’s available at a quite reasonable MSRP of $51,120. If you need more room and have twice the money to spend, the big S55 brings 493 horses together to accelerate even faster.

Our test car, the CLK55 coupe, sits comfortably in the middle of the AMG stable. In some ways, it’s the classic American coupe — a pillar-less hardtop powered by a big V8 that drives the rear wheels. That’s where any further comparisons to elderly Cadillac Coupe DeVilles end.

Power delivery from the big V8 is silky smooth through the CLK’s five-speed automatic transmission when normal dispatch is appropriate. For aggressive motoring, SpeedShift programming is available at the push of a button located just north of the shift lever. When deployed, the sporting program provides 35 percent quicker shifts and the control moves to steering wheel-mounted buttons.

Along with its prodigious power and slick shifting, our AMG coupe stayed its course through the corners and while big disc brakes kept the forward momentum under control. This is as much a driver’s car as any two-seat conveyance I can think of and one that can accommodate passengers in comfort and style.

The AMG CLK55 can sneak up behind enthusiasts who aren’t paying close attention to its subtle design cues, including a slightly larger lower air intake. From the rear, a vision most drivers will encounter, the AMG badge and prominent dual exhaust pipes are easily noticed.

To enter the car, the key simply has to be on or around your person. If it’s in your pocket or purse, a simple tug of either door handle unlocks the car and allows easy entry. To start the engine, just press on the large button in the shift lever. The same lever turns things off.

Inside, the sports seats adjust in every conceivable fashion, including bolster support. Wood accents are replaced with brushed metal and a few performance touches, including white instruments and racing pedals. All this driving entertainment comes at a price — just over $70,000 for the CLK55 coupe and another $10,000 for the convertible version. Although that’s a lot of income to dispose of, it buys a fully optioned, great looking Mercedes Benz that will blow the toupee off most sports cars. From that measurement, it may be a bargain.