Mercedes-AMG is getting ready to unleash a hardcore, over 600-horsepower V8-powered CLE Coupé.
The new high-performance CLE will become the second model in AMG’s ultra-exclusive Mythos series, following the SL 63-based PureSpeed roadster that debuted in 2024.
Right now, it is being put through cold-weather testing in Sweden wearing heavy camouflage. The limited production run is pencilled in for later this year, with customer deliveries only expected from 2027.
Described internally as ‘extreme’, the CLE Mythos signals a clear return to V8 power for AMG’s mid-size coupé, especially after the mixed reaction to the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid setup used in the latest C63.
Power is expected to come from a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 featuring a motorsport-inspired flat-plane crank. This is the same engine architecture confirmed for the updated S-Class, which is scheduled to be revealed on 29 January.
In S-Class form, the V8 is said to produce more than 530 hp (395 kW) and 746 Nm (550 lb-ft) of torque. In the lighter and more focused CLE Mythos, those figures are expected to climb significantly, with outputs likely to clear 650 hp (485 kW) and torque tipped to exceed 800 Nm (590 lb-ft).
That is a huge step up over the current CLE 53, which uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six delivering 443 hp (330 kW) and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque, rising to 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) with overboost.
With that sort of performance on tap, a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint well under four seconds seems inevitable, along with a top speed nudging 299 km/h (186mph).
The move to a flat-plane crankshaft, a configuration AMG first used on the 2020 GT Black Series, reduces rotating mass and allows the engine to rev more freely. The result should be sharper throttle response and greater efficiency, with the added benefit of a more compact layout that helps the V8 fit into the CLE’s engine bay without major re-engineering.
The chassis will almost certainly receive extensive upgrades to handle the extra performance.
Although official technical details remain under wraps, the prototype suggests a much wider front track, more aggressive wheel offsets and a noticeably lower ride height compared to the CLE 53. This places the car closer to the kind of engineering depth previously reserved for AMG’s Black Series models.
Visually, the test car already hints at a far more track-focused design. The front end appears to feature a reworked grille along with additional brake and engine cooling intakes. Both front and rear arches are widened, and the car is believed to feature a carbon fibre roof.
At the rear, a large fixed wing dominates the profile, clearly aimed at delivering meaningful downforce on a circuit. The diffuser area has also been reworked, and the familiar round exhaust tips of the CLE 53 are replaced by four trapezoidal outlets.
If the SL PureSpeed is anything to go by, expectations should be set accordingly. With a price tag of £664,000 and production capped at just 250 units, it gives a strong indication that the CLE Mythos will carry an eye-watering price and be built in similarly tiny numbers when it finally breaks cover later this year.
