Want to Speed off in Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes C63 AMG Wagon?
The cars you’ll see in celebrities’ garages range from mild to wild, and professional racers are no exception. Lewis Hamilton’s fleet, for example, includes EVs and a Pagani Zonda. Regardless of the brand, though, it’s always interesting to see which whips pro drivers give their seals of approval. But it’s even more interesting when you have a chance to grab those wheels for yourself. And that chance is coming up soon with Michael Schumacher’s 2010 Mercedes C63 AMG wagon.
The W204 Mercedes C63 AMG sent the 6.2-liter V8 off in sonorous style
| 2008-2014 ‘W204’ Mercedes C63 AMG | |
| Engine | 6.2-liter ‘M156’ V8 |
| Horsepower | 451 hp |
| Torque | 443 lb-ft |
| Transmission | Seven-speed automatic |
| Curb weight | 3920 lbs (2008 sedan, Road & Track) |
| 0-60 mph time | 4.1 seconds (2008 sedan, Road & Track) |
Before AMG pursued hybrids and electrification, and before forced induction became de rigueur in the performance world, its cars featured large-displacement naturally-aspirated engines. Remember Hamilton’s Zonda? It has an AMG-built V12. And for many years, the performance division’s signature engine was the 6.2-liter V8. That engine’s song came to an end in the W204 Mercedes C63 AMG.
Although its successor, especially in C63 S form, is faster and more powerful, the W204 Mercedes C63 AMG is still impressive today. In Comfort Mode, it’s a smooth, collected luxury car with comfortable leather-and-Alcantara seats. But put your foot down, and that V8 shoves you forward “like a force of nature,” R&T reports. It sounds like a force of nature, too, especially with its automatic rev-matched downshifts.
Over its production run, Mercedes gave the W204 C63 AMG a few upgrades. Firstly, the Performance Package, aka Option P30, added a limited-slip differential, Alcantara steering wheel, and stiffer suspension. Mercedes replaced it in 2010 with Option P31, the Development Package, which offered 30 more horsepower, a carbon-fiber lip spoiler, and upgraded brakes, though it made the LSD optional. And in addition to revising the interior and exterior for 2012, Mercedes also gave the C63 AMG launch control, a coupe model, and a wet multi-plate clutch.
But the most extreme Mercedes C63 AMGs came at the very end of the V8’s run. First was the coupe-only Black Series, a lighter, sharper, stiffer, wider, and more powerful monster of a road car, Car and Driver says. And the real swan song was the C63 AMG Edition 507, which could run to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
Neither, though, is the version that Michael Schumacher owned.
Practicality meets insanity in Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes C63 AMG wagon
In the US, Mercedes only offered the W204 C63 AMG as a sedan and a coupe. But European customers could also get it as a wagon in C63 AMG Estate form. And when he drove for the Mercedes F1 team, that’s the car that former World Champion Michael Schumacher used.
Admittedly, he didn’t use it for very long. According to Bonhams, Schumacher only held onto the 2010-model-year wagon for about six months. After that, it passed into the hands of a Swiss owner followed by a Mercedes-Benz engineer. And after said engineer restored it, they sold it to the current owner.
Today, Michael Schumacher’s former 2010 Mercedes C63 AMG wagon sits with less than 94,500 miles on the clock. And it has over $22,500 worth of optional extras on it, though a full features list isn’t available. But from the auction listing, it at least has black leather upholstery, navigation, Bluetooth, automatic dual-zone climate control, power-folding mirrors, parking sensors, and heated front seats.
You could own the wagon once piloted by a former F1 World Champion
Yup, you heard right, Michael Schumacher’s C63 AMG Estate is up for grabs. Bonhams is auctioning the wagon during its upcoming Les Grandes Marques du Monde event in Paris on February 3rd. It estimates the Estate could command anywhere from $56,000-$110,000. Even the lower estimate is about twice what the average W204 C63 AMG costs today. But good news, potential bidders, there’s no reserve.
However, there’s also some bad news. Because Mercedes never sold the C63 AMG Estate in the US, it’s technically not road-legal, R&T points out. Though given this wagon’s providence, it shouldn’t be too difficult to write to Mercedes and ask if it passes US crash standards. And there’s likely an importer that can help with the lighting and sticker regulations.
Plus, if you got this wagon, you could truthfully claim to own an F1 driver’s car without having to spend millions on an actual F1 car.
UPDATE 2/7/2022: The Schumacher C63 Estate sold for $31,593.
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