► VUK Automobile inserts V8 into W206 AMG C-Class
► Austrian tuner throws out controversial 4cyl PHEV powertrain
► Company claims a two-year development period
VUK Automobile, an Austrian tuner, has thrown the AMG C-Class’ four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain in the bin – and replaced it with a V8.
The Vision Ultimate Kraft (VUK) team calls itself a ‘professional Mercedes-AMG tuning house’ and will engineer or upgrade the performance, interior or paintwork of a car you own. The company, which says it has spent two years developing and engineering the W206 AMG C63 E-Performance to work with an Affalterbach-derived V8, has built one so far for testing.
Videos on Instagram have shown the model fully built, as well as subsequent ones that have shown it on a dyno. In one video, VUK Automobile says this is ‘a C63 the way it should be.’
That said, VUK has also put out a statement regarding its C63 V8 swap. The team have said: ‘we want to emphasise that our project would not have been possible without the engineering excellence and components from Mercedes. As a tuning company, we live for performance and individuality, and Mercedes-Benz is the brand that inspires us.
‘Let’s not forget that these decisions [regarding engine choice at the point of production] are made by a few executives and do not represent the entire company or its many talented employees. Instead of criticism, we should celebrate the brand that provides the foundation for builds like ours.’
Images and video show that the V8 used is still an AMG one, which includes the assembler’s signature on the cover. By the sounds of the engine, it’s very likely that the engine is the ‘M177’ 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the previous-generation AMG C63.
While AMG hasn’t completely dropped the V8, with models like the GT and SL using it on its own (and the latest AMG S63 using it as part of its hybrid E-Performance powertrain), removing it from the C63 has proven extremely controversial. In fact, AMG head Michael Schiebe has already admitted to CAR that the performance brand had lost some customers when it ditched the V8 from its core C63 model.
Rumours have swirled for a while about AMG and Mercedes-Benz possibly returning to use of the V8 in some high-performance models, including the upcoming new CLE 63 – which has been spotted testing at the Nürburgring with a bellowing V8. We’ll have to wait and see.