The power-war was on, and Mercedes-Benz didn’t want to lose it in front of its traditional competitor, the BMW M3 convertible.
When BMW introduced the E46 M3 Convertible with 343 hp from a 3.2-liter engine, it was considered an outrageous open-top vehicle. But Mercedes-Benz answered with the CLK AMG Cabriolet. It was the first Mercedes-Benz with an engine developed from scratch by AMG, and what an engine it was.

The exterior of the CLK 63 was heavily revised from the rest of the CLK Cabriolet. At the front, an A-shaped grille in the apron and a pair of side-scoops enhanced the aggressive look of the car. Its slightly wider fenders made room for fatter tires on 18” light-alloy wheels with a unique, five double-spoke design. In the rear, the carmaker installed a double oval-shaped exhaust.

The interior was carried over from the regular CLK, with more aluminum trims and the new COMMAND 2.0 infotainment system, which sported a DVD-based navigation system. It also allowed an iPod integration via an external port installed in the glove compartment. The center stack design was modified, and the former commands carried over from the C-Class were replaced with newer ones.

Under the hood, AMG dropped a 6.2-liter V8 paired to a standard 7-speed automatic (dual-clutch) gearbox that sent the power to the rear wheels. Its performances were far better than those of its main rival, and it wasn’t the most spectacular nor the most powerful version of the CLK.