Is a AMG c class a supercar brand?

[Dizwen]

just curious, what do you think?

AMG performance is in super car numbers, 0-60 in less than 5 seconds etc...

insurance is group 20, warranty companies class AMG in with ferrari, porsche etc, yet C class AMG gets mentioned in the same sentance as BMW M sport cars. personally I don't think of M3s or M5s as supercars so where does that leave AMG?

I'd class an SL AMG as a super car, but a c class AMG?

...I think it is a supercar brand by the way, just a discussion we ended up having in the pub, as you do...

[Palmball]

Its a strange one this as individual perceptions of what a 'Supercar' is will differ greatly.

I'd love to see my C63 as a Supercar but in reality, despite near-Supercar performance, it is ultimately just a very fast, expensive and well engineered C-Class. A car who's basic design is similar to a £25k C180. Therefore, no matter how outrageous it is, I couldn't see it as a genuine supercar....it's just not exotic enough.

Indeed, before my C63 I owned a BMW M6 which really did have supercar-bashing performance - I remember a brand new Aston DBS being no quicker and thats currently Aston's finest! It was also very nicely made, had a wonderful leather and alcantara interior but again, I never really saw it as a Supercar...again, I'll say that word and say that it just wasn't exotic enough.

Also, before buying my new C63, I did look at an Aston V8 Vantage and that looked like a Supercar and it had that 'sense of occasion' about it....indeed, that was a car that really was exotic! But, as anyone who read the posts about my experience will know, it just wasn't as good a car as the much more ordinary C63 - indeed, a C63 would annihilate 4.3 V8 Vantage in terms of performance, build quality and probably overall engineering integrity.

[matt17081]

Whilst both are superb motor cars, in my opinion neither should be classed as "supercars" for a number of reasons, firstly performance quick yes but not when compared to something like a Bentley Continental GT, Maclaren SLR or something like an F50 ferrari or indeed most of the Lamborghini's and secondly down to exclusivity

[Bobby Dazzler]

I agree with Palmball. AMGs offer near supercar performance, but aren't necessarily supercars. The one exception being the SLS.

To be a true supercar then there are two main criteria IMHO:

The car must have been designed to be a supercar, not mainstream.

The car must have featured in at least three posters from Athena with black/red, black/black, or black/white colour schemes, and hung on bedroom walls of at least 50% of the UK population of boys under 16.

[wemorgan]

Supercars, like Superstars need to be prima donnas, arriving late for the show a bit drunk but still looking fabulous.

The C63 is just too well behaved.

[Charles Morgan]

A supercar just is. Like the definition of art versus pornography, you know it when you see it.

[Will]

Agree with the others - I don't think any of the current/recent AMG cars are supercars at all.

The SLS - possibly close, and I guess the SLR are the only contenders that spring to mind?

In fact - looking away from MB, not sure that there's many (any?) regular saloon cars that you'd call supercars. It's not just the performance figures that make a supercar.

IMHO

Will

[BTB 500]

Agree with all the above. I'd love a C63 or C55, but ultimately it's still just a C Class.

[Gareth]

Definitely not a supercar. A super car, but not a supercar

[Superted]

It is nearly a supercar in terms of performance. At the end of the day it is just a very fast Saloon.

IMHO i would say it is the next level down from supercars which isnt too bad!!

Cannot wait to have mine. I was looking at a Porsche as an alternative to getting a C63 and decided that the C63 brought more to the table in alot of ways.

I will one day get a Porsche (fingers crossed) but with owning one i feel i will always need a second car where as with a C63 I dont.

[Gridlock]

I believe technically the SLR would be a hypercar*, if you use the 200mph rule of thumb. Or the "it costs how bloody much?" one.

(*) Carrera GT, Enzo, Zonda, that lot.

I've seen it said a few times the AMG C Class' are more of a muscle car than anything else, I'm quite happy with that characterisation - mass produced saloon with something special hidden in it and a V8 soundtrack...

[chiefski26]

my c63 feels like a supercar every time i drive it but as above its only a super car

[bpsorrel]

I don't think a supercar is, or should be, practical! When I think of supercars, I think of outrageous sports cars - unreliable (probably), extremely fast (usually), stunning to look at - the type of car that makes you stop and stare when you see one! Based on that, an AMG C Class cannot be a "supercar", but it is as Gareth said, a super car!

[chiefski26]

palmball when do you get your new toy ?

[trando]

Agree with several of the posters here. I love my C55 and I love it's 'super' performance, but I don't consider it as a 'supercar'. C55s are Q cars - most people probably wouldn't be able to tell it apart from a regular C Class. And that's the issue - to be a 'supercar' it has to stand out from the crowd. Consider your typical supercar over the years - Lambos, Ferraris, Astons etc - they all stand out as such.

That's not to say that there aren't any AMGs that aren't supercars - as someone has already mentioned -the SLS should be classed as one.