Mercedes-Benz’s new mythical performance coupe is getting closer and closer to reality, and so you know what time it is. Time for the CarBuzz spy photographers to snap even better images of the CLE-based AMG Mythos testing in the German town of Nurburg. The company is trying so hard to keep it a secret that even the wing end plate and surfaces have camouflage cover. Let’s talk about that.
The Benz With A Face Only BMW M Could Love
Mercedes-AMG CLE Mythos spy photoCarBuzz/Valnet
The first detail of this Mercedes-Benz Mythos model is the BMW-ification of the front grille. We’re used to the vertical slats of the Panamericana-style grille, but we’ve never seen them like this before.
Base Trim Engine
3L I-6 Hybrid
Base Trim Transmission
9-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
443 HP @5800 RPM
Base Trim Torque
413 lb.-ft. @ 2200 RPM
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
20/27/23 MPG
Base Trim Battery Type
Lithium ion (Li-ion)
Model
AMG CLE 53
This time, the car has far fewer slats than normal, about half based on a quick count. They also run from the top of the nose all the way to the front splitter. That’s double the height we’re used to, and it gives this Merc a BMW’s face in all the wrong ways. One of the worst things that could happen to the owner of a car like this is being mistaken for a BMW M4.
Whatever your thoughts on the face, it will definitely allow more airflow into the engine. That engine will be a version of the flat-plane crank V8 that Mercedes-Benz debuted in the latest S-Class refresh.
AMG boss Michael Scheibe has said that there will be three versions of the engine. The first is the 530-horsepower one from the S-Class, the next is a standard AMG model, and the third is the “go crazy” version. Expect this one to be the third one, and well over 650 horsepower is almost guaranteed.
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Most of the CLE Coupe has been re-worked to create this car. The nose has more aerodynamic elements including vents around the headlights, there are wider arches, and there is that tall rear wing.
Mythos Or Black Series, This Will Be A Very Exclusive Car
Mercedes-AMG CLE Mythos spy photoCarBuzz/Valnet
Inside the car we can see an extensive roll cage. AMG and others often fit a cage for safety during ‘Ring testing, but this one looks more serious than those. It wouldn’t be the first factory cage from Mercedes-AMG, with one notably reinforced model being 2021’s Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series – the predecessor in spirit, if not directly, of this car.
This is a very different car from the one Mercedes-AMG teased in January. That car had a much smaller wing and much less aggressive nose, which suggests that either Mercedes-AMG has decided to go more extreme or it is actually making two different bewinged CLE cars. It first began teasing this version of the car earlier in May.
Mercedes-AMG CLE Mythos spy photoCarBuzz/Valnet
Mythos is something new from Mercedes, and it started last year with the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed. That car was a speedster based on the Mercedes SL, and this is expected to be the second vehicle in the company’s new sub-category.
The most extreme version of the CLE-based car is expected to be limited to just 30 copies. Pricing hasn’t been announced, and it might never be, as the CarBuzz spies say that it’s already long sold out to some of the company’s best customers.
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The Black Series could return, either as an AMG or as part of the ultra-special Mythos lineup.
If Benz is planning two different cars after all, then the earlier small-wing one could revive the company’s Black Series performance badge. That one would probably be a lot easier to obtain, and production figures would be higher. We still don’t have many concrete details, but we do know that with official teasers already out, you can expect the reveal very soon.
