Best sports car over $80,000

In classic hot-rod vernacular, ‘there ain’t no substitute for cubic inches’, but in a world of superchargers and turbochargers that pretext has lost a lot of its relevance. That is, unless you’re talking about the massive, naturally aspirated 6.2-litre Mercedes V8 shoehorned into the mid size C-class coupe.

With its AMG technical refinements, this direct fuel-injection engine delivers a power output of 336 kW with an amazing 600 Nm of torque. Option the $14,900 AMG performance package and the kW count grows to 358, accompanied by a competition-orientated brake package and 19-inch wheels.

Needless to say, the C63 AMG delivers eye-popping performance, enhanced by the dynamic and direct power delivery of a unique AMG seven-speed automatic transmission. This dual-clutch, auto-shifting gearbox not only features steering wheel shift paddles and a rotary console switch to select one of four different drive programs, but even sports a race-start function to optimise take off traction and a throttle blipping down-shift action.

It is not just the engine and power transmission that characterise the C63 AMG coupe’s dynamic quality. Its true brilliance comes from a cleverly integrated engineering package that makes the whole car feel confidently composed in any situation.

The AMG sports suspension and high performance composite braking system are also key to the C63’s brilliant capability.