Keith Brantley’s 2009 C63 AMG has affectionately been dubbed the “Red Brown Arrow” by none other than AMG, Mercedes Benz own in-house tuning division. As anyone even vaguely familiar with the marque will attest that is not something to be taken lightly, then again not much is in Affalterbach, Germany.
A huge compliment indeed as in the world of Mercedes Benz, the “Silver Arrow” or “Arrow” designations have traditionally only been attached to MB’s dedicated and purpose built Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars dating back to 1954; those that tackled the likes of world renowned tracks such as Spa, Nurburgring, Le Mans, Silverstone, etc. The nickname bestowed upon Keith’s C63 is derived not only from its ultra rare Barolo Red paint but also because of its awe inspiring and often outright shocking on-track performances, much like the originals. After all, we’re talking about a sedan that’s beaten the mighty Corvette ZR-1 and a Porsche Carrera GT at the Top Gun Run standing mile event, trapping 180.73 naturally aspirated in the process.
On March 25th 2011 at M.I.R. in Mechanicsville, MD, with the help of driver Ben Scott and after running over a dozen 10 second naturally aspirated ¼ mile passes with a N/A best of 10.91@129.5mph, Keith’s MHP Stage 3 C63 once again raised the bar–only this time it was to the highest level the world has ever seen. On a 125HP shot of nitrous the Red Brown Arrow ran an all-time Mercedes Benz best of 10.41@135.27mph in the ¼ mile, with an 1/8th mile split of 6.77@105.56mph. On the same pass 0-60mph was achieved in a mere 3.04 seconds, 0-100mph was dispatched in 6.19 seconds and was accompanied by a 60-130mph time of 6.59 seconds—by comparison the mega dollar Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 needs a tortoise like 7.8 seconds to accomplish the same 60-130mph blast. Red Brown Arrow indeed.
Watch below for video of the Overall Mercedes Benz World Record ¼ Mile Pass on 125 shot, 10.41@135.27mph.
