Saturday, November 19, 2011

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercedes E63 AMG wagon













It's very rare for me to shoot modern cars; however, I do have a few exceptions. If the vehicle is a rare variation of a somewhat common vehicle, if the vehicle did not sell well, and there aren't many examples in my area, or if the vehicle is an unusual condition for its age (either tip-top shape or U-Pull-it worthy need apply).
AMG is Mercedes' tuning arm. Basically, for mundane models, AMG makes them that much better.. Add 100+ horses, beef up the brakes and suspension, lower it, give it a nicer bodykit, better interior materials, and shave some weight off via lightweight materials, and jack up the price accordingly, and you've got the formula down pat. Now, it might sound like I'm harping on AMG, by the tone of my sentence, but honestly I'm not; I'm just fed up with the notion that most AMG buyers simply treat their cars as a more expensive Mercedes, not a sports-oriented vehicle. So, AMG owners drive their cars accordingly. They think that having an AMG means they're automatically entitled to drive like idiots, and drive faster than everyone else. Okay, so you have 507 stomping horses under your right foot, and you've got bigger brakes. I don't care if your $94,650 wagon can accelerate from 0-60 in a scant 4.6 seconds. You don't need to prove that in traffic.
In all honestly, I actually really like the W211 Mercedes E-Class, especially in AMG trim. The sedans are quite awesome, but the wagons are that much better. Unlike the already quasi-rare sedan, the wagon is rare as hen's teeth. The E55 wagon was actually sold through dealers for a short period, but never the E63; it was a special order vehicle, and whoever bought one knew what they were getting into.
When I saw this lovely example just sitting on a remarkably quiet Lake Street, I knew that moment was special; I had to shoot. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. And it was. I have not seen this AMG wagon since, nor have I seen another one. Honestly, this is probably the only AMG E63 wagon I'll ever see-- and that makes me sad.

1 comment:

Art Tidesco said...

If I were in the market for an AMG upgraded Merc, which I am not, yet, the first thing I would make sure of is that the AMG badging was deleted, apart from that I do like the OTT specs they come up with.