THE formula sounds as outrageous today as it has since the dawn of the motoring era take a compact, not-too-heavy four-door sedan and drop into its engine bay something really intended for a much bigger, and heavier, car. Then - as if you really needed to - pump the power slightly, rework the suspension to cope and add a workmanlike braking system with perforated front discs. Then, just so people will notice, rework the body to give a meaner on-road distance. Hey presto, you have a genuine, badass Mercedes sedan. Funny thing is, the Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG doesn’t really feel – or look, for that matter – all that animalistic.
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Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG
Released: November 01
Ended: August 04
Family Tree: C-ClassLaunched a year into the current W203 C-class's life was the supercharged 3.2-litre V6-powered C32 AMG, which packed 260kW/450Nm. Bookending it in September is the V8-powered C55 AMG flagship of the facelifted C-class range (tested here), and the 225kW/410Nm V8-powered C43 of the previous, W202-model C-class range. The C43 was available in both sedan and Estate guises, and replaced the 3.6-litre six-cylinder C36 sedan (206kW/385Nm) in April 1998.
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