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- Mercedes-AMG teases a high-performance CLE-based model in the Mythos series.
- Signs suggest ‘The Hammer’ name will return for this V8-powered coupe.
- Features wider fenders, a fixed rear wing, and aggressive track-focused aerodynamics.
- Expected to debut AMG’s new 650-hp flat-plane-crank 4.0-litre V8 engine.
- Ultra-limited production follows the open-top PureSpeed, making it the second Mythos vehicle.
There’s an “exceptionally extreme” Mercedes‑AMG on its way, and it looks to revive a historic name. Based on the Mercedes-AMG CLE, we’re still not sure exactly what this ultra-limited Mythos model will be called, but all the signs point towards ‘The Hammer.’
One of automotive’s most famous nicknames, “The Hammer,” was given to the 1986 E-class coupe, where AMG swapped the factory inline 6-cylinder engine for a 5.0-litre V8 in the modestly sized chassis. Here, this new Mythos model looks to do the same.
The current-generation Mercedes-AMG CLE53 utilises a mild-hybrid 3.0-litre inline-six engine (M256M) with an electric auxiliary compressor, producing 330 kW (443 hp) and 560 Nm (600 Nm overboost). However, the brand has recently backflipped on its engine downsizing strategy after slow sales of the 4-cylinder hybrid unit in the C63 S E Performance. This Mythos monster will likely be the first in a line of new AMG models to feature the twin-turbocharged V8.
Like they did with The Hammer in the 1980s, Mercedes-AMG could even poach the upcoming flat-plane-crank V8 from the 2026 Mercedes S-Class, an engine type we haven’t seen the brand use since the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.
Like the Mercedes-Benz 300E AMG 5.6 from the late 1980s, the new model will also feature extensive bodywork changes, including wider fenders, a wider wheel track to match, wider wheels and tyres, and even a large wing on the back of the car to improve aerodynamics and cornering.
It might still be wrapped in camouflage here as it undergoes intensive testing near the Arctic Circle, but this new model will signal a return to the uncompromising presence that Mercedes-AMG has lacked in recent years. Using the infamous ‘Hammer’ nickname to signal this return would just make sense; it practically created the AMG brand that we know today.
This new AMG model will be the second in a range of exclusive, limited-edition Mythos vehicles. It will join the radical, open-top two-seater Mercedes‑AMG PureSpeed, which comes without a roof or windshield and is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 as the AMG SL 63, producing an identical 430kW.
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