[Video] 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG vs. Mechatronik-built 1971 280SE

Ryan Joseph Ramos July 10, 2012

What happens when you put a 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG side by side with a built-from-the-ground-up 1971 280SE coupe by tuner Mechatronik? Car and Driver: Tested presents us with this clash of the pillar-less titans. All you need to do is watch the video, try to decide which one you’d rather have, and be left sitting in a puddle of your own drool.

Just look at the engines on those things, huh? Load the video and let Sam Smith take you through a bit of history and explore the ins and outs of these two wonders of automotive engineering and enjoy the ride (or, in this case, rides).

While the 2012 CL63 AMG is gorgeous on all accounts, it doesn’t have the kind of elegance and retro swagger that the rebuilt 280SE coupe lives and breathes. All things considered equal, I’d pick the old-school design any day—and it helps that it’s been retrofitted with revised specs, not the least of which is that AMG engine.

Of course, Sam Smith sums it up nicely near the end when he says, “underneath it all, it’s still Mercedes-Benz.”

What about you, which one would you pick?