Cars / COTF / Gen I / E63 AMG W212
Mercedes-AMG · COTF / Gen I
E63 AMG W212
2013-2015 · 27/41 specifications catalogued
The Mercedes-AMG E63 (W212) was the Car of the Future race car campaigned by Erebus Motorsport — the only Mercedes-Benz ever to contest the Australian V8 / Supercars championship. Fielded from the opening Gen I season in 2013 through to 2015, it was the odd-one-out of the era among the Ford, Holden, Nissan and Volvo entries.
An AMG V8 in a control car
Erebus took over the former Stone Brothers Racing licence and entered in 2013 with three Mercedes E63 AMG sedans on the new Car of the Future control chassis — the same rear-transaxle, control-differential, E85 and Dunlop-control-tyre package as the rest of the grid. What set the car apart was under the bonnet: a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 built by AMG in Germany, derived from the marque's 6.2-litre M156 / M159 engine family and reduced to the control displacement — a production-based unit, and a very different architecture from the purpose-built race V8s of Ford and Holden.
Body & aero
The race car carried the four-door W212 E-Class silhouette. Like every Gen I car the body was aero-matched to a common downforce and drag target; the aerodynamic package is set by the technical rules and no per-car figures are published here.
A short, distinctive run
Erebus persevered with the AMG package for three seasons before switching to the Holden VF Commodore for 2016, closing the only Mercedes chapter in the category's history. The car is remembered less for what it achieved than for what it was: the sole German entry, running an AMG-derived road-block V8 in a field of dedicated race engines.
Sources: verified spec catalog (COTF / Gen I control formula — Grade C; AMG M156/M159-derived engine base — Grade D) + the E63 model article.
Technical specification
Grouped by system. Every value carries its confidence grade and source.
confirmedperiod-verifiedbridge refunknownquarantined
Category 1/2
Formula designation
V8 Supercar (Car of the Future / Gen1) period-verified
Category formula designation (era-based)
Series & administration
— unknown
Engine 6/8
Displacement
5.0 L period-verified
5.0L V8 formula carried into the Car of the Future
Configuration
90-degree V8 period-verified
V8 Supercars Gen I era notes + V8SA Car-of-the-Future control-component tenders (harvested)
Induction
Fuel injected (AMG M159-derived 5.0L V8) period-verified
Wikipedia: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (V8 Supercar)
Power (est.)
458 kW / 614 hp @ 7500 rpm period-verified
Wikipedia: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (V8 Supercar)
Max engine speed
— unknown
Compression ratio
— unknown
Engine management
V8 Supercar control MoTeC M190 ECU + power-distribution module period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback)
Engine block
AMG-built 5.0-litre V8 (derived from the 6.2L M159/M156 family) period-verified
general V8 Supercar / Car of the Future history | v8sleuth 'inside story of the Mercedes E63 Supercar' + Wikipedia (Grade C/D) · The only Mercedes engine in the category (Erebus) Engine = Mercedes-AMG M159 5.0L (from the SLS AMG GT3), initially supplied by AMG/HWA (Germany) then taken fully in-house by Erebus Motorsport for 2014, developed and homologated in Australia.
Drivetrain 2/4
Gearbox
Rear-mounted transaxle - Albins, then XTrac sequential (control) period-verified
Project handbook (Gen I drivetrain note)
Gear ratios
— unknown
Final-drive options
— unknown
Differential
Control rear differential (V8SA spec) period-verified
V8SA-0610 Rear Differential tender (harvested)
Suspension 2/8
Front type
V8 Supercar control double-wishbone front suspension; coil-over adjustable damper, cockpit-adjustable anti-roll bar period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control suspension (per DJR 2013 COTF + Kelly Racing Gen2 tech-spec pages; harvested Wayback) · COTF control double-wishbone front.
Rear type
V8 Supercar control independent rear suspension (double wishbone); coil-over adjustable dampers, cockpit-adjustable anti-roll bar period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control suspension (per DJR 2013 COTF + Kelly Racing Gen2 tech-spec pages; harvested Wayback) · Independent double-wishbone rear — the COTF control suspension that replaced the Blueprint live rear axle (carried into Gen2). Corroborated as independent rear suspension by Racecar Engineering (Apr 2019): a Triple Eight engineer states the COTF brought the shift to (controlled) independent rear suspension.
Front spring rate
— unknown
Rear spring rate
— unknown
Anti-roll bars
— unknown
Dampers
— unknown
Front geometry
— unknown
Rear geometry
— unknown
Brakes 5/5
Front disc
395 mm period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback) · V8 Supercar control AP Racing front brake (COTF).
Rear disc
355 mm period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback) · V8 Supercar control AP Racing rear brake (COTF).
Front caliper
AP Racing 6-piston (V8 Supercar control) period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback)
Rear caliper
AP Racing 4-piston (V8 Supercar control) period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback)
Brake pads
Control brake pad - three front compounds from three approved suppliers (AP Racing control caliper + iron disc) period-verified
Racecar Engineering, Apr 2019 - "Australian Supercars: Technical Insight" (David Cauchi, Triple Eight; AP Racing) - harvested PDF · Front upright/cooling not controlled, so friction interface varies by team (RCE).
Wheels & tyres 3/4
Wheel size
Team Dynamics 18 x 11 aluminium (V8 Supercar control) in period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback) · COTF 18-inch control wheel.
Tyre supplier
Dunlop control tyre period-verified
Control-tyre chronology (Dunlop through Gen I)
Tyre dimensions
280/680 R18 (Dunlop SP Sport control) period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback)
Tyre construction
— unknown
Weight 1/2
Minimum weight
1400 kg period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback) · Per the DJR 2013 COTF spec (incl. driver); category minimum was adjusted year-to-year. Note: Wikipedia lists 1250 kg for the E63, which is inconsistent with the ~1400 kg COTF class minimum of the era (likely a dry or transcription error) - treat as suspect.
Weight distribution
— unknown
Fuel 2/2
Fuel capacity
112 L period-verified
V8 Supercar Car-of-the-Future control-part spec (per DJR 2013 COTF tech-spec page; djr.com.au, harvested Wayback) · V8 Supercar control fuel cell (COTF), forward of the rear-axle centreline.
Fuel specification
E85 ethanol blend (control) period-verified
Project handbook (E85 from 2009, carried into Gen I)
Dimensions 3/3
Wheelbase
2822 mm period-verified
whichcar.com.au "Anatomy of the ZB: Inside Holden's latest Commodore Supercar" (Gen2 technical deep-dive) · Defined control-chassis wheelbase all bodies are moulded to fit (Gen2, per the ZB deep-dive; shared with the COTF control chassis).
Front track
1913 mm (COTF/Gen2 control-chassis track) mm period-verified
whichcar.com.au Gen2 track figure (1913 mm), carried onto the COTF cars as the same control chassis was used from 2013 through Gen2 · COTF (2013) and Gen2 (2017) share the same control chassis, so the track is the 1913 mm control figure; distinct from the Project Blueprint track (a VSD figure, different value). Basis: this ~1913 mm is an outer / wheelface (overall) track width, NOT wheel-centre to wheel-centre - the ~1900 mm body plus tyre overhang. Wheel-centre track is ~1600 mm (ChassisSim, Blueprint car). Cf. Gen3 ~2000 mm to the wheelface.
Rear track
1913 mm (COTF/Gen2 control-chassis track) mm period-verified
whichcar.com.au Gen2 track figure (1913 mm), carried onto the COTF cars as the same control chassis was used from 2013 through Gen2 · COTF (2013) and Gen2 (2017) share the same control chassis, so the track is the 1913 mm control figure; distinct from the Project Blueprint track (a VSD figure, different value). Basis: this ~1913 mm is an outer / wheelface (overall) track width, NOT wheel-centre to wheel-centre - the ~1900 mm body plus tyre overhang. Wheel-centre track is ~1600 mm (ChassisSim, Blueprint car). Cf. Gen3 ~2000 mm to the wheelface.
Aerodynamics 2/3
Front aero
COTF control front undertray/splitter (standardised package) period-verified
Wikipedia Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (V8 Supercar) + COTF regs
Rear wing
COTF control rear wing (~310 kg-era aero-parity envelope) period-verified
Wikipedia + COTF regs · No model-specific downforce number published for the E63.
Downforce / drag map
— unknown