Merc reveals CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake

This machine may look familiar. It enjoyed a fleeting moment of celebrity at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed where, marked up in camouflage, it was sent for a surprise demonstration run and barked its intent up the hill.

Now Mercedes has officially revealed that intent: the halo model of the recently revealed CLS ‘estate'. Meet the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake.

Needless to say, it looks fantastic. It uses AMG's new 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 525bhp and 516lb ft of torque for a 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph. Tick the box on your spec sheet marked ‘Edition 1', and you'll enjoy even more power and even quicker times; the engine gets boosted to 557bhp and 590lb ft of torque, to hit 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds.

Gallery: Mercedes CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake

This engine is hooked up to Merc's seven-speed MCT ‘box, complete with a ‘race start' function (thumbs up) and four modes - ‘controlled efficiency', ‘sport', ‘sport plus' and a manual option. The front axle is 56m wider than the standard CLS Shooting Brake, there are steel suspension struts on the front, air suspension struts on the rear (with automatic level control), as well as electronic damping reducing body roll. Again, this is switchable, from ‘comfort', to ‘sport', to ‘sport plus', each varying the level of liquidation your rear-bound items of shopping require.

Huge 360mm brakes sit all round - with the option of carbon ceramic stoppers - underneath 19 light-alloy wheels. There are also other AMG signatures too; the pumped up front and rear aprons, single-slat radiator grille, ‘V8 BITURBO' shouty badging, twin tailpipes and of course, a lavishly appointed interior with much leather, sports seats, AMG ancillaries (racetimer, analogue clock etc) and that wooden luggage compartment floor.

UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, but it'll launch in October 2012 with an expected sticker of over £82k. Question is, would you have this instead of an E63 estate?