Mercedes-AMG’s CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung pairs 16.5-inch front ceramic composite discs and six-piston fixed calipers with a model-specific brake-cooling package on a 637-hp, rear-wheel-drive coupe limited to 30 examples. The hand-built Mythos Series model, revealed this week by Mercedes-Benz USA, sold out before its world premiere. The company says the braking system was engineered for sustained racetrack use and reduces unsprung mass compared with a conventional setup.
Highlights
- Front brakes: 16.5 x 1.6-inch (419 x 41 mm) internally ventilated, perforated ceramic discs with six-piston fixed calipers and long-fiber technology
- Rear brakes: 14.2 x 1.3-inch (361 x 33 mm) ventilated, perforated ceramic discs with single-piston floating calipers
- Dedicated cooling: Large front bumper intakes, airflow-guiding elements and side flics on the front apron directed at brake heat dissipation
- Operating envelope: 193 mph top speed, 0–124 mph in 11.4 seconds, and more than 550 lbs of downforce at top speed
AMG Ceramic High-Performance Composite Braking System
According to Mercedes-AMG, the braking system is engineered for extreme loads and delivers consistent performance during intensive track use. The setup is a version of the AMG Ceramic High-Performance Composite Braking System with a brake-cooling concept developed specifically for the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung.
Ceramic braking on Mercedes-Benz road cars traces back to the 2000 CL 55 AMG F1 Edition, the first production vehicle fitted with standard ceramic discs.
What Are the Front and Rear Brake Specifications?
| Axle | Disc | Caliper |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 16.5 x 1.6 in (419 x 41 mm), internally ventilated, perforated ceramic | Six-piston fixed, long-fiber technology |
| Rear | 14.2 x 1.3 in (361 x 33 mm), internally ventilated, perforated ceramic | Single-piston floating |
The company reports that heat generated within the friction surface transfers more rapidly into the disc’s cooling channels, resulting in lower brake pad temperatures. Calipers are painted gold.
How Is the Braking System Cooled?
Brake cooling is integrated into the car’s aerodynamic package rather than treated as a standalone feature. Large air intakes in the front bumper and dedicated airflow-guiding elements improve heat dissipation, according to the release. Additional flics on the sides of the front apron are credited with both increasing front-axle downforce and improving brake cooling.
Open louvers in the widened carbon fiber fenders ventilate the wheel wells, fed by a channel system next to the headlights that directs airflow through the wheel arches and out through the louvers.
Weight, Unsprung Mass and Turn-In
Mercedes-AMG says the ceramic setup reduces weight and unsprung mass compared with a conventional braking system, with direct benefits to driving dynamics and turn-in response. The brakes are one element of a lightweight program that the company says cuts approximately 375 lbs from the donor CLE 53, alongside carbon fiber body panels, polycarbonate rear glazing, a titanium-intensive exhaust, a lighter 12-volt battery, and the removal of the rear seats, acoustic insulation and the 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system.
Lighter braking hardware has become a recurring theme in limited-production performance cars — Aston Martin recently standardized carbon ceramic brakes on the DB12 S for the same unsprung-mass rationale.
The Car Around the Brakes
The CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung is the second model in the Mercedes-Benz Mythos Series, following the 250-unit PureSpeed. Each car is rebuilt by hand in Affalterbach from a CLE 53 platform. The AMG M177 EVO 4.0-liter V8 biturbo produces 637 hp (646 PS) and 627 lb-ft of torque, driving the rear wheels only through the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
Chassis hardware includes a four-way adjustable coilover suspension developed with KW automotive, a 2.4-inch wider track front and rear, 305/30 ZR 20 front and 335/30 ZR 20 rear tires, and a nine-stage AMG TRACTION CONTROL system for ESP-off track driving. Curb weight is 4,178 lbs with a 56/44 front/rear distribution.
“For me, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung represents the very essence of AMG. This vehicle came to life because highly rational engineers dreamed of a highly irrational car. We turned that dream into reality in the form of maximum driving dynamics and an unparalleled driving experience,” said Dr. Stefan Weckbach, Chairman of the Management Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Head of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class & Mercedes-Maybach Business Units.
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