700-HP Mercedes R63 AMG Becomes World' s Fastest Minivan CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News 700-HP Mercedes R63 AMG Becomes World' s Fastest Minivan

700-HP Mercedes R63 AMG Becomes World' s Fastest Minivan

Aug. 27, 2020 12:55 PM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Video / 12 Comments A new record has just been set. Minivans are not exactly the first cars that come to mind when you think of something fast, but there have been some properly quick family vans in the past. One that really stands out is the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, which came in R63 AMG flavor too. It was a car that was absolutely hideous and hasn't really gotten any better with time, but it did have the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 from a Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 under the hood. With 503 horsepower and a top speed of 155 mph, it was crazy, but now there's an even more insane version that has been modified to be the fastest minivan in the world. Optima Batteries - no relation to the Kia Optima - has taken the R63 AMG to another level. Weistec Engineering was brought on board with the project to help make it faster. To do this, the company strapped its Stage 2 M156 supercharger to the van with impressive results. The family car now produces a whopping 700 horsepower, thus approaching the power figures of the first Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. With racing driver Tanner Foust at the wheel, the modified R63 was able to cross the standing mile at a speed of 165.5 mph, thus making it the fastest minivan on the planet. Optima roycerumsey JIM MCILVAINE The successful record attempt took place on August 7 as part of a marketing campaign for the battery company but what we're really interested in is that the minivan is not only street-legal but still has its full interior. In addition, it's not so dirty as to be unable to pass a California smog test. Hopefully, this won't be the last time that we see the modified minivan in action, as we're quite curious to see if the R63 can go even faster given more space. Let's hope that other companies view this as a challenge - we'd love to see more fast vans. Optima Optima Optima

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Mercedes-Benz R-Class Sebastian Cenizo Senior Editor Sebastian jumped straight into the workplace after high school. Various vocations in sales, logistics, and project management helped him buy and modify several cars over the years, while his passion for motoring journalism saw him contribute to local print media while running car enthusiast clubs. But in 2019, the opportunity to join CarBuzz arrived. Originally handling reviews of new cars, his love of the technical led to writing detailed blog posts on various aspects of car care and ownership. He currently handles news sourcing, writing, and editing, along with social media management and the clarification of patent lingo. In his spare time, he's either reading, driving, or looking to collect more BMW Performance parts for the E82 and E9X platforms. Contact Sebastian @sebz_tsc @sebz_7 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top