Some cars emerge from carefully researched product plans, but this is not one of those! The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung began when a small group of AMG engineers wondered how far they could push the CLE towards maximum driving dynamics, and then built a prototype to find out.
That origin story matters more than you’d think. AMG was founded by two engineers who refused to accept that a large Mercedes saloon had no business becoming a racing car. That’s the story of Aufrecht, Melcher, and the famed Red Pig!
Decades later, the same slightly unreasonable instinct has produced a wide-bodied, rear-wheel-drive CLE with a flat-plane-crank V8, manually adjustable aerodynamics and carbon fibre virtually everywhere.
Only 30 examples will be hand-built in Affalterbach. All were sold before the car’s public unveiling, and that’s perhaps the least surprising fact on this page.
What Is The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung?
Firstly, Spezialanfertigung? Well, that just translates loosely as “special production” or “custom-made”, an appropriately sober German name for something so wonderfully excessive.
AMG comprehensively rebuilds each car at its Affalterbach headquarters. The bodyshell is widened and reinforced, the all-wheel-drive system is removed, the suspension is replaced, the aerodynamics are redeveloped, and approximately 170kg is stripped away.
The result weighs 1,895kg. That’s still a bit on the higher side of the scale, but remember, the donor car was never intended to become a featherweight circuit special. The engineering achievement lies in removing so much mass while adding a roll-over bar, wider bodywork, serious cooling and aerodynamic hardware.
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A 646hp Flat-Plane-Crank V8
Under the carbon-fibre bonnet sits an extensively developed version of AMG’s M177 EVO 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. It produces 646hp between 6,000 and 6,250rpm, while 850Nm is available from 2,500 to 4,500rpm. The 646hp output also gives the car its name.
More significant is the use of a flat-plane crankshaft. Compared with the cross-plane arrangement traditionally associated with AMG V8s, it reduces rotating mass and helps the engine respond more sharply. Dedicated mapping further improves throttle response, while three cooling circuits manage temperatures across the engine, charge air, transmission oil and 48-volt electrical components.
A 17kW integrated starter-generator contributes up to 205Nm, but the star remains the V8. The bespoke exhaust was developed with Akrapovič, uses titanium to save weight, and promises a sound deliberately engineered around emotion. In other words, the engineers remembered that noise is part of the performance.
Why Rear-Wheel Drive Changes Everything
The standard CLE 53 sends its power through AMG Performance 4MATIC+. The Spezialanfertigung removes that system completely and delivers all 646hp exclusively to the rear wheels.
This saves weight, but its greater contribution cannot be measured in kilograms. Rear-wheel drive gives the driver a more direct relationship with the throttle, rear axle and available grip. An electronically controlled limited-slip differential varies its locking action to improve traction and stability, or it can also assist a controlled drift when conditions and talent allow.
Power reaches the rear axle through AMG’s nine-speed SPEEDSHIFT TCT automatic transmission. Launch Control has been recalibrated around the new drivetrain, helping the CLE reach 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and 200km/h in just 11.4 seconds.
It requires 36.8 seconds to reach 300km/h in Race configuration and 36.2 seconds in Street mode, where the lower-drag aero setting gives it a small advantage. The top speed is 310km/h.
A Chassis Built Around Communication
Mercedes-AMG worked with KW Automotive to develop a steel coil-over suspension system specifically for the car.
Its dampers provide independent four-way adjustment for low-speed and high-speed compression and rebound. Low-speed settings control larger body movements under braking, acceleration and cornering, while the high-speed adjustments govern how the suspension reacts to bumps, kerbs and sharp surface changes.
That degree of control allows the owner to tailor the CLE for a particular circuit, road, driving style or tolerance. The body is 60mm wider at both ends, accommodating 20-inch forged wheels measuring 11 inches across at the front and 12 inches at the rear. They wear enormous 305/30 front and 335/30 rear tyres developed from technology created for the AMG ONE.
AMG has also lowered the front axle by 22mm and the rear by 16mm, making it look more aggressive. Weight distribution stands at 56:44 front to rear.
Carbon-ceramic brakes provide the stopping power. The front uses 420mm discs with six-piston fixed calipers, while the rear receives 360mm discs and single-piston floating calipers. Dedicated cooling ducts help manage temperatures during repeated hard braking.
Aerodynamics Adjusted By Hand
Carbon fibre is used for the bonnet, roof, widened front wings, front apron, side sills, rear apron, diffuser, boot lid and rear wing. The rear side windows and rear windscreen are polycarbonate, while a lighter 12-volt battery and the deletion of acoustic insulation contribute further savings.
The front diffuser can be manually switched between Street and Race settings using three fasteners. In Race mode, its inverted-wing profile accelerates air beneath the nose to generate greater front-axle downforce. The centre section of the rear wing can then be adjusted to restore the desired aerodynamic balance.
Styling Worthy Of The Badge
Fender louvres, headlight-side air channels, front flics, a nearly enclosed floor and longitudinal underbody fins complete the package. Together, they produce well over 250kg of downforce at the 310km/h maximum speed.
Its Mojave Silver Magno front section and Obsidian Black Magno rear emphasise the car’s dramatic proportions, while the enormous grille leaves little doubt about the cooling demands of its 646hp V8.
Less Infotainment, More Involvement
The cabin follows the same ruthless AMG philosophy. The rear seats are gone, insulation is reduced, the audio system is simplified, and several comfort and driver-assistance functions are deleted, including PARKTRONIC.
Ultra-lightweight racing bucket seats, carbon-fibre door panels and an integrated roll-over bar replace the missing luxuries. The DINAMICA-covered AMG steering wheel carries fewer controls, while the optional Performance Package adds six-point harnesses.
AMG TRACTION CONTROL offers nine levels of rear-wheel-slip adjustment when the ESP is switched off. That gives an experienced driver room to approach the limit progressively rather than choosing between full electronic intervention and an immediate conversation with the nearest tyre barrier.
The CLE 646 Recaptures AMG’s Original Spirit
The CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung is the second Mercedes-Benz Mythos Series model after the roofless PureSpeed, of which 250 examples were produced. Yet its closest philosophical ancestor may be the AMG 300 CE 6.0 “Hammer”.
That car also began with a dignified Mercedes coupé and emerged from Affalterbach with a rather different attitude towards rear tyres. The CLE 646 continues that tradition using modern aerodynamics, sophisticated traction control and carbon construction, but the emotional centre remains familiar: a powerful V8 in front, driven wheels behind and a human being placed directly between them.
At a time when performance is increasingly defined by software, electric boost and devastating straight-line acceleration, the Spezialanfertigung argues that involvement still deserves its own engineering budget. It is heavy, thirsty and spectacularly impractical, and its creators appear fully aware that these are not necessarily criticisms but strengths.
