When the supercar holy trinity of the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and LaFerrari came out, their speed-boosting hybrid power was seen as a novelty. A way to quietly start the car as to not annoy the neighbors while also adding a quick boost of satisfying torque when their also-powerful gas engines needed a little kick.
The 400-volt, 6.1-kWh battery pack—which sits above the rear axle to balance weight—utilizes an unconventional cooling system that sends a non-conductive fluid to each battery cell individually rather use air or another indirect cooling method. AMG says the lithium-ion battery tech in the 63 S E Performance is derivative of the system found in its Formula 1 car.
The battery can deliver enough juice for a continuous 94-hp motor output, but it can peak at a feed good enough for 201 horsepower. As a plug-in hybrid, the GT63 S E Performance can be plugged in to charge, affording a yet-to-be-announced electric-only driving range, though don't expect much; in the four-door AMG GT63 S E Performance with a similar powertrain, EV-only range stands at a mere 7 miles.
The AMG GT 63 S E Performance still does all the hybrid supercar cute tricks like starting silently but when the driver asks for power with their right foot both electric motor and V-8 will oblige them. While AMG is mighty high on this hybrid set up, we’re going to reserve judgement until we can get behind the wheel of this new monster cooked up in Affalterbach.