Masochistic masterpiece or Merc-urial museum piece?

Question: "Whose crazy idea was it to plonk a 457bhp 6.2-litre V8 engine in a car that weighs just over 2,000kg?"

Well, AMG have developed a mildly manic habit of doing just that for over 40 years in both racing and road cars. But the division between the two is diminishing to such an extent that this C63 has only 13bhp less than AMG's C-Class racing in the DTM (German touring car) series. On public highways – that's frightening.

Which is why, when you buy a C63 AMG, you need to apply as much care as you would to train a grizzly bear to shoot a crossbow. The tell-tale signs are immediately apparent: 19-inch spoked alloys with low profile Continental tyres in muscular arches; angular trademark AMG nose, chrome front grille; two reptilian power domes running up the bonnet; two pairs of twin chrome sports exhausts butting out of the ridged rear diffuser; and of course, the chrome "6.3 AMG" on the front wing (it's actually a 6,208cc engine but '63' sounds just that little bit more devilish).

The interior reinforces this radical performance potential. First you notice the large leather and suede padded steering wheel with wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

While the left hand takes care of the usual steering wheel functions such as indicators, wipers and cruise control, the right hand is free to operate the gear shift and centre console features.

Then there are front seats with six-way adjustment buttons on the upper door panel for easy access. There are three switches on the inner edge of the front seats to improve the bolstering to "corset" setting and adjustments for both lumbar and back support. In tandem with the electric reach and rake controls of the steering, you get an almost perfect driving position.

Finally, you notice the race-inspired instrument cluster, its large speedo with a tempting 320km/h figure at the far right-hand edge although the engine is limited to 250km/h. Set between the fuel and engine temperature on the left and a diminutive rev counter to the right, the metallic-effect outer of the speedo encompasses an understated digital readout showing time, external temperature, driving mode and gear, and the ESP status.

This cockpit has an ambience of a DTM race car and fighter jet: a cosseting cocoon of soft textures, intuitively located switches, roll-up Comand APS+ system navigation and entertainment screen, and subtle chrome and carbon fibre highlights. That's before you even push the start button and kick the beast into life.

When you do, the V8 engine starts with a feisty grunt and a dismissive flick of the rev needle, like you've woken that snoozing grizzly for a day of target shooting.

This is where the danger of having little knowledge comes into the equation: 600Nm of torque demands a degree of respect. Fortunately, to help deal with this explosive power and get the greatest range of use from your C63 you're given three driving modes: comfort, sport and manual, which are linked to the gearbox, the steering and the suspension and damper systems.

Comfort mode makes the up and down shifts of the AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic gearbox smoother and makes the ride slightly less harsh, although the default mapping is obviously on the sporty side. You still get engine braking, for example, just not as aggressively as in sport mode.

Sport mode will be the most popular setting for drivers of the C63 AMG. The suspension stiffens for better road holding although you'll feel every ripple of the tarmac through your spine, and the steering becomes progressively heavier with speed: still nicely weighted to turn the tyres at low speeds but heavy enough at 180km/h or so to prevent those little lapses in concentration turning your AMG into a Waltzer ride.

While gear changes are 30 per cent faster than in comfort – with an automatic throttle blip when changing down – upshifts are delayed until higher up the rev range to make the most of the C63's impressive power.

It's a potent engine and flooring the gas will have the ESP working overtime not to leave rubber behind.

The ESP (or Fun button) has three settings: on, ESP-sport and off.

With ESP on the sport setting, the C63 will give you a longer leash to play on before it grabs you by the collar, so getting the tail-end a little loose is playfully easy.

With ESP off either in sport or manual driving modes you're asking for trouble. You need the right foot of a ballerina not to break traction when pulling away, and cornering can become pretty hairy if you are a bit twitchy. Too much of a heavy right foot when the car is even slightly unbalanced – during a U-turn, for example, – can see you pirouetting like you're in Swan Lake. However, drifting becomes almost effortless – so I've been told.

But with so much torque on hand, the C63 is surprisingly well-behaved, balanced and predictable even when you're going sidewards, and you do feel connected to the action even if it's not as involved as a lightweight two-seater. At 200km/h plus it is rock solid thanks to AMG's aerodynamics package, with minimal noise except for the growling exhaust tone permeating the cabin.

This being said, in comfort mode the C63 can be driven very sensibly in town, and without excessive fuel consumption (13.4 litres per 100km). The engine mapping allows for the fact that you will sometimes find yourself chugging along in traffic as well as thundering (literally) down autobahns.

But when all is said and done, unless you're going to race prep it, the C63 is an anomaly: why have all this power when you'll never legally get to use it?

Yes, it's fun, it's exciting, and it's over the top. But looking to the future and the C63's contribution to 21st century driving trends – it's sadly redundant… Yes, but it is incredible fun.


The rivals

BMW M3

BMW's sports coupé is a hit with driving enthusiasts. It combines looks with powerful performance yet is also built with the environment in mind as the latest model has lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Audi RS4

The 4.2-litre engine makes the RS4 a monster on the road as it delivers 414bhp and tops 100km/h in less than five seconds. It is expensive to run, but what it lacks in affordability it makes up for in pure driving pleasure.

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