The mad mechanics from Mercedes high end tuning arm of AMG are at it once again. Instead of preparing a brand new CLS63 AMG or putting the finishing touches on the C63 AMG Black Series; the trainees are up to no good with some spare parts and an idea.
The innocent Mercedes B-Class is about to receive a serious upgrade from some talented young men and women. A plant manager at an AMG assembly shop is testing his students by giving them a task they can really sink their teeth into. Peter Wesp thought up the challenge and ended up having some of his talented staff take on the project.
Andreas Wurz is a foreman in the technical vocational training department and it was his idea that lent to such a sinister B-class being built. Specific plans were put together, parts gathered and work started on the B55 AMG.
Hit the jump for more details on the B55 AMG.
Exterior
One of the main goals of the project was to leave the exterior of the car largely untouched. Mr. Wurz figured the larger engine they intended to put in would be able to fit into the B-class engine compartment with little modification. Even with keeping the cars “egg” shape, the AMG men were able to put on some nice pieces to increase the appeal.
The paint shop was enlisted to coat this one-off car in white with smoked lenses and radiator louvers. A set of 18” AMG sport wheels set up with 255/35 ZR 18 Y tires at the rear help lend a glimpse at the potential of this car. Coming around to the rear, the custom built exhaust system exits out of the center providing a very distinct look for any AMG car.
Interior
Mercedes corporate had become involved with the project at this point lending a hand with the financing side and having Sindelfingen provide some materials for the luxurious interior. Almost all AMG models feature Alcantara headliners and A, B and C pillars inside – this B55 was to be no different. On-site at the Rastatt plant, where this work was taking place, is Johnson Controls and they were kind enough to provide a set of custom leather/suede seats.
Performance
The B55 really gets interesting when you get under the hood. For starters there is a 388hp 5.5-liter V8. Since the B-class transmission has no business handling real power they swapped it out for a seven-speed unit and engine control unit. Further problems persisted as the engineers moved down the drive train, realizing that rear-wheel drive power would be the best option for this project and replacement of the rear-end was necessary. The older W210 E-class rear end became the option of choice and was installed soon after. After modification to the subframe and undercarriage of the B-class it had been fitted with a new rear-end and prop shaft from the older E-class.
This B-class was not done claiming victims from an AMG parts bin that seemed endlessly at the service of this project. Next up was the C32 AMG whose perforated and internally ventilated disc brakes were a perfect match. In order to make the suspension fit with the rest of the car the AMG technicians got a K&W setup and fitted it to the B55.
Future
This is a one-off special product developed on a soon to be replaced B-class platform and will not reach production. Three very good things could come of this little experiment. First, Mercedes may decide to create a full AMG version of its next B-class. Second, there could be more of these one off creations based on older platforms to keep us all interested in the expanding capabilities of AMG. Third, we can only hope that they fully test this car so we can get some real performance figures.
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