There aren't many cars as cool as a stealthy performance estate. It's a fairly common pub game among car enthusiasts to draw up a dream garage wishlist (you know the type of thing, you've got a practical family car, a sports car, a load-lugger, a track car...), and the estate version of the Mercedes C55 AMG neatly fulfils all of those roles in one hyper-versatile machine. It can do it all. 

What is it? Well, back in 2005 Mercedes-Benz decided to apply the AMG treatment to the popular W203 C-Class for the second time (the first having been the C32 AMG of 2001-2003) – and this time, instead of a supercharged V6, it was to have a full-fat naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre V8. Borrowing the engine from the larger AMG E-Class involved lengthening the nose of the C-Class which necessitated fitting the front end from the CLK, but aside from that things looked pretty stealthy, particularly in a sober shade of silver, with little beyond the quad exhausts and the badges to give the game away. 

And there really is a lot going on there – that goliath of an engine produces 362bhp and 376lb.ft, running 0-62mph in 4.7s with top speed limited to 155mph... all wrapped up in a package that offers supple damping and leather-lined luxury. And the estate version is a rare groove indeed – out of a total of 4616 C55 AMGs built, only 595 were station wagons, and that's the global figure. Today there are just 90 of these registered on UK roads. There's colossal performance here, and very few people will suspect. 

 

The W203 is a notoriously robust thing, and the interior wears its years very well. Enthusiasts of the marque will know that all 2000s-era Mercedes-Benzes smell exactly the same (it's the gently ageing leather that does it), so this C55 will immediately feel like home for the Merc faithful. The tasteful black leather is in good order throughout, and this car is equipped with the subtle dark-hued wood trim. The carpets and headlining are tidy, and the split rear bench folds down correctly to open up that cavernous boot. 

The audio system works correctly with no dead spots in the screen, and there are no warning lights illuminated on the dash. There's no undue wear to the steering wheel and switchgear, and the electric front seats work well across all functions. 

The exterior aesthetics are really a work of genius with the C55 wagon – because if you know what you're looking at, you'll immediately spot the AMG magic (the quad exhausts and the massive front brakes instantly tell you that this isn't just a badged-up C180), but to the average person on the street it's just another estate car. Indeed, that crisp shade of silver makes it all but anonymous in traffic... until you put your foot down and all hell breaks loose. 


The paint is in good order throughout, with the usual stone-chips you'd expect across the nose but no significant scuffs or scrapes. There's a chip in the windscreen on the passenger side, but otherwise the window glass all appears good. The AMG alloys wear a set of matching Continentals, and a new set of aftermarket LED taillight clusters has recently been fitted. 

 

The drivetrain is this car's party piece, the muscular nat-asp V8 offering up some genuinely incredible power – and the deep swells of torque mean that it's always eager to pounce towards the horizon without a moment's hesitation. The engine fires readily and settles into an even idle, pulling with gusto through the rev range. This model came with the 5-speed auto 'box with AMG Speedshift, and this one had a new shift mechanism fitted very recently so all is well there.

The car rides very comfortably and, as you'd expect, the brakes feel biblically effective. There are advisories on the MOT for discs, pads and tyres, but that's all par for the course really and nothing beyond that which you'd likely expect. Overall, what you're looking at here is a highly effective and constantly entertaining performance machine that's presented in fine fettle and ready to enjoy.

Indeed, these M113 V8s are famously hardy and can go on for hundreds of thousands of miles if properly looked after. So what are you waiting for?

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