The AMG that got away (again) | Editor’s Choice June 2026

Reviews Editor Dan Trent writes:

“In my 20-odd years of reviewing cars I’ve always stuck to a personal code of not getting emotionally involved with manufacturer-supplied test vehicles in the name of keeping home and work separate and avoiding potential heartbreak. There was one, though. And, 13 years after we were parted, it has been advertised for sale on Autotrader. Yes, the actual car. The one that really stole my heart and, if I could have sold anything to have kept, I would have bought in a heartbeat. And this is my second chance. Or it was. Because in the time it’s taken me to write this the car has sold, and I missed it. Again.

“We’ve got this far, though, and you’re wondering how a grey Mercedes estate car turned out to be The One let me explain why this wasn’t any old grey Mercedes estate car! This was the AMG C63 Edition 507 I lived with for six months and many happy (and expensive) miles in a previous job, its combination of a stonking great V8 engine, family friendly practicality and – while I had it – roof racks for carrying my bikes a perfect combination of my automotive desires.

“Trust me, I could bore you absolutely senseless on exactly why this car captured my heart as it did. It was mainly down to the engine, though. The utter absurdity of a 6.2-litre V8 in a family estate car never wore off, nor the amusement factor of heads snapping round any time I fired it up. And the bafflement on faces as they tried to reconcile the sound with the grey Mercedes in front of them. My neighbour at the time even complained about it. But his dog used to drive me mad with its constant barking, so I considered us even on that score.

“A standard C63 estate like the one I convinced my friend to buy at the time would suffice. In fact, all these years later he’s still got that car, so it obviously got under his skin, too. But this 507 Edition was something special, thanks to some extra trimmings from the C63 Black Edition and engine upgrades from the fabulous ‘gullwing’ SLS. Yes, literally an estate car with the engine from a supercar. And it went like absolute stink.

“Yes, it was absurdly thirsty, to the point it taught me lessons in range anxiety long before driving an electric car. Yes, it was absurdly fast. 13 years on the sound of that engine still resonates in my head, though, and the memory of my last blast with it on a track day at Brands Hatch remains vivid. As it likely does for the drivers of the various exotica I blasted past in a haze of tyre smoke and V8 thunder, the drivers probably still wondering how the hell they just got dusted by a grey Mercedes estate.

“I still don’t have the money. So, it’s probably for the best someone else has snapped it up. I hope they have as much fun with it as I did. Maybe next time!”

​Join Dan in dreaming about old AMGs on Autotrader

​Missed it as well? Don't worry, selling dealer Maundrell has plenty of other cool stock! ​