- Latest CLE 63 Mythos prototype gains a huge new hood intake for cooling.
- AMG has extensively revised airflow since earlier prototypes began testing.
- Coupe’s flat-plane V8 will appear on other AMGs after Mythos’ 2027 debut.
Just when Mercedes-AMG’s CLE Mythos looked like it couldn’t possibly ingest any more air, engineers have cut another hole in it. The latest prototype has been spied testing in Germany with a gaping hood intake, revised aero and several other changes that suggest AMG is still working hard on cooling its hottest coupe.
Related: New Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 Reveals Its V8 Engine For The First Time
Our spy photographer says the change follows an engine failure during the past eight months of testing. We haven’t been able to independently confirm that detail, but either something has prompted AMG to rethink airflow since we last saw the Mythos in May, or it’s just been desperate to hide the scoop from our prying eyes until now.
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Earlier prototypes had a conventional hood, whereas this latest car gets a substantial opening positioned above the engine bay. AMG’s engineers are also running without a front license plate, apparently to maximize airflow through the nose during development, even though a front plate is a legal requirement in AMG’s home country.
Other new details include the first unobstructed look at the coupe’s carbon-fiber roof with a central depression not seen before. Meanwhile, additional camouflage has appeared over the lights, which our sources say hides the star-pattern graphics of the facelifted CLE range. Handily, our spy team snapped the new and old Mythos prototypes running in tandem on the Nurburgring so we can compare and contrast.
Vents, And More Vents
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The rest remains unchanged, so as unhinged as ever. There are vents beside the headlights, saw-tooth outlets in the swollen front fenders, a serious front splitter and fat rear arches. At the back, an adjustable wing on motorsport-style pylons sits above diagonally stacked quad exhausts.
And unlike AMG’s latest electric performance machines, those pipes should will deliver a genuine V8 soundtrack, not a synthesized version of one. The Mythos will use an AMG-developed version of Mercedes’ new flat-plane-crank, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, with previous reports pointing to around 637 to 646 hp (646-655 PS).
More CLE V8s On The Way
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That would put roughly 200 hp (203 PS) between the Mythos and today’s six-cylinder CLE 53, though this car is about far more than simply adding horsepower. Our sources say AMG is targeting substantial weight savings and serious track capability, making comparisons with the old CLK 63 AMG Black Series increasingly difficult to avoid.
Production reportedly won’t begin before 2027 and numbers will be strictly limited. Pricing remains unknown, but Mythos models aren’t designed for bargain hunters. The good news for the rest of us is that AMG is already working on a more accessible 63-badged AMG with V8 power to take on the BMW M4.
