I Drive a REAL C43: The Original AMG Mercedes

[@VolkerHett]

The C43 is the follow up to the C36 :) (Writing from the town where the C Klasse is made)

[@boogboog8097]

I thought that, was there ever a 55 with the na engine?

[@raedhalisi]

The 05-06 c55 which was the "modern" day c class v8 amg. Na 113 engine.

[@TheCajunzx]

C36!

[@nathanaelharlem2517]

dont know if you guys gives a damn but if you are stoned like me during the covid times then you can stream all of the new series on instaflixxer. I've been watching with my gf lately =)

[@edwinjordy3264]

@Nathanael Harlem Yea, have been using Instaflixxer for years myself =)

[@prixinc1]

Very well made car review video, love how there is no annoying music and you get right to the point. Well done sir!

[@TACADO1]

A proper man car with interior built to last , awsome car

[@kbcarroll]

22 years and 313k miles on mine, and the interior is the most impressive part. No faded or torn leather with the exception of the top of the steering wheel.

[@frankvincent6625]

Machine.

[@Gr0t0tter]

This channel has waaaay too few subscribers given the quality and breadth of content.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks, couldn't agree more

[@chawenhalo0089]

he's a propper car guy, not one of these bling heads fucktards as in s many channels.

[@chrisogrady28]

Subscribers take a long time to build, jay has been accumulating them at a pretty fast rate, you have to think of it as a % increase, and it wasn’t long ago when I remember him having

[@2702simmo]

To be honest I’m surprised it has as many subscribers as it has ...

[@gamwpanagia]

He's also one of the few brits you can understand with ease

[@Toomsa-art]

Great video of this old school Merc. C36 was the first officially sold AMG through Mercedes from ‘93-‘97. This C43 came afterwards. I prefer the looks of the more angular body-kitted C36

[@domwick720]

C36 was not real smh in sense that most desire but was just touched up by AMG

[@bigjml]

​@@domwick720 Wrong, the C36 was the first joint venture. Up till then AMG would convert Mercedes after production. Mercedes bought AMG in 1999 After the C43 was produced.

[@zesthraxGaming]

@@bigjmlthe 1999 c43 amg was the first car not converted but built entirely by AMG.

[@bigjml]

@@zesthraxGaming C36

[@zesthraxGaming]

@@bigjml where is this information accredited

[@NishantDash]

Older fast Mercs just look soo gangster 👌 Great video as usual dude!

[@Lt.Mingus69]

I first fell in love with this car due to the monoblock rims, the manliest rims in existence.

[@Yeoldelole]

SAME!!!!

[@cgrist7000]

Same!

[@brianach1817]

It's hilarious how much you can stand Mercedes, AMG cars, the C43, turbos etc. I do love your channel and watch pretty much everything.

[@MouldyPIX]

Great to see the C43 again.. I had both the C36 (in AquaMarine) and the C43 in full hairdresser Red with Black and Cream leather. Had fantastic fun in both cars back in the late 90’s and early 00’s. On reflection I preferred the C36...👌

[@raycroal]

why you prefer c36

[@visionist7]

Your red one was likely the one I was looking to buy over a decade later. Can't be too many of them made in red

[@chrisbaisden8301]

Yeah I'm curious about your preference, too. I have a 99 C43 and I don't know why anyone would want the 36 over the 43. Since you've had both, I'm all ears.

[@leicaman100]

@@chrisbaisden8301 Less gimmicks less electronics (gearbox ) C43 gearbox has issues in later life. Plus that straight six is a delight. Each to their own I suppose. By the time the C43 was being built, Mercedes had bought AMG and decided to shoe -horn their standard V8 not handbuilt like the 36.

[@raycroal]

@@soldatinconnu1804 they are both port and polished with hotter cams the 36 has a stroker crank from a diesel the 43 doesn't i imagine they are both good motors. Of all the m113 na motors the 4.3 makes the most power per litre even the stock 430 has a higher figure than amg 5.5 they are decent motors when i drive my 5.0 m113 it feels detuned compared to my 430

[@Scoharr]

I love my '99 C-Class - it's a C230K Sport. The 4-cylinder is not the smoothest, but once the supercharger kicks in, the little beast just goes and goes and goes - over 260K miles to date. As a Sport model, I get the carbon fiber interior fitments, too. I upgraded the original 16" sport alloys to the same 17" AMG monoblocks as the C43.

[@mak62183]

Man I love the lines of older Benzo’s

[@sdpupsdad]

Why is the cruise control stalk configured the way it is? Simple, Jay, one word: Lineage. My first car was a 1978 W123 Coupe. You found the cruise stalk on the left side (US version) just above the signal stalk. How many cars in 1978 had cruise control? These cars led the way in innovation. The W202s just carried that same configuration along from it's W201 predecessor. Today, in my wife's 2019 GLA250 the stalk is on the left, just below the signal lever. Still works the same way. Push Up (towards roof)=Accelerate/Set; Down=Coast/Set, Push Away= Think ''STOP' Cancel, and pull toward you, think come back or 'Resume'. It becomes intuitive with driving. Use the cruise in a modern Mercedes it has roots from 40+ years ago....LINEAGE!

[@havocmwf]

Love this car. It ain't a sports car, it's a Gansta car period. The C55 AMG is even more so.

[@BATF4P]

I love cars with a passion and when i watch videos its quite easy to tell between those who like cars (fanboys) and those who love cars (gearheads) and i can see your passion for it from a mile! Keep up the good content.

[@FREEDOM-FIGHTER-ONE]

Hello from Germany! Thank you for the video! I own a japanese C 43 AMG with low kilometers and in a perfect condition. I love my C 43 AMG!;-)

[@mr-cx3eg]

Amg never built a complete production car in affalterbach. Only the engines are made there. The sls and the amg gt are the only cars that got developed there by amg alone, but also those weren't built there. And the first amgs that were available at ordinary mercedes dealerships were the E36 amg and the C36. Anyway, i enjoyed the video. Keep up the good work 👍

[@kbcarroll]

C36 AMG was sent from Mercedes to AMG as a fully assembled and ready-to-sell C280 in Affalterbach. AMG then tore the car apart to upgrade it and put it back together by hand. I don't know why those cars aren't the most valuble and collectible AMG cars since the Hammer. They are the last "true" AMG cars.

[@kristoffer3000]

The single stalk is very nice when you get used to it, I absolutely loved it when I had my Merc and still prefer it.

[@kbcarroll]

Agree. The most ingenious design ever for cruise control. Dead simple and you're always 1 nudge away from what you intend to do with it.

[@Genome69420]

i love mbz cc its the best lol

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

My Favourite was the C43 Estate with the Tuxedo Leather Fantastic

[@popuptoaster]

5.5 swap and 6 speed manual from a Chrysler Crossfire would make one of these absolutely perfect.

[@largol33t1]

I always loved the "oreo cookie" dials Mercedes uses. Would love to have an original AMG Hammer. When it came out, car magazines threw every car they could find at it. It laughed at one rival after another and ate BMW and Ferrari's fastest cars for lunch. Rumors swarmed around Italy that Enzo Ferrari was NOT happy to hear his Testarossa couldn't catch it. Then came the most outrageous thing: it caught a Lamborghini Countach. I was shocked when I read that article. The magazine thought it was a fluke so they did long range radar gun tests by having both cars try to cover one mile as quickly as possible. Nope, no fluke. The Hammer came out on top. Mercedes tried for a looong time to produce their own. In 1999 to the shock of many, the mighty company Daimler-Benz (the parent company of Mercedes) admitted defeat and instead, bought out the AMG brand entirely. Well, at least AMG has the financial and employee support of Mercedes...

[@jackthehat8593]

Iirc the C36 had a harder look to it. The C43 had softer lines and a less sharp bodykit. I wanted either of these cars back in the mid 2000s, just couldn't afford one at the time.

[@lexburen5932]

for me the 500E AMG is the one. The hammer

[@cyberdrakon]

The 500E was not an AMG. the 'hammer' is the 300E and 300CE with the M117 DOHC 6.0 motor.

[@amacca2085]

Wasn’t the 500 something to do with Porsche ?

[@cyberdrakon]

@@amacca2085 Yes, Some of the final assembly and the fenders were outsourced to Porsche.

[@cyberdrakon]

@Martin Gård They threw a bunch of parts from the MB bin together, mostly from the SL. It's hardly called 'development'.

[@hotwire96]

The 500E isn't an AMG, nor is it a 'Hammer'. The only thing the 500E has in common with the Hammer is that it's a W124. The 500E was a Mercedes and Porsche collaboration to make a top-of-line performance E Class sedan, before Mercedes and AMG started working together in manufacturing cars and MB bought AMG. Before this, AMG was a tuning shop (like Brabus or Alpina for BMWs), and the Hammer was a colloquial name for what a W124 chassis Mercedes became if a large percentage of the AMG performance, cosmetic, and interior parts were fitted.

[@mikestoddart3819]

Had one of these for a year or so back in 2003-ish. Fabulous build quality and lovely to own. The biggest problem with it was that it had very little weight over the rear wheels so it was far too easy to lose traction. A bit scary in the wet.

[@greatscottfpv2420]

I chipped my c43, she was a beast. Those where the days when fuel was less than a pound a litre, and it still stung my wallet

[@paultaylor9652]

Lovely Jubbly, hats off to the owner for taking care of it so well, nice car.

[@zakelwe]

I had a C43 and loved it because it was a real Q car and has aged a lot better looks wise than the equivalent M3 of the time in my view. It also had a fantastic engine sound, great V8 burble. The rarest version is the 5.5 liter version you could get by official conversion from the C43 to C55. Issues with the car as well as rust was the gearbox and torque converter could fail if the transmission oil was not changed ( cost me £3000) and the crankshaft position sensor could start to fail which meant it would not start when warm.. which got progressively worse. Also most electrics had issues. Finally if you get one of these they have a soft accelerator pedal and there was an aftermarket plug in device done by a guy in Greece I recall that sharpens it up immensely. It just plugs in under the bonnet. Loved mine, but was better for going between roundabouts on dual carriageways than the twisties.

[@jeb419]

Can you let me know where you got the aftermarket device for the accelerator pedal?

[@rubenhaftvani800]

@@jeb419 It's called a sprint booster and it makes the Pedal/throttle input more sensitive.

[@abdullahz4804]

@@rubenhaftvani800 I think thats exactly what my W210 E200 had it felt so good to drive with it

[@RobBoothAutomotive]

I remember there was a C43 on the bottom of my road growing up, the plate was V8 VUM (or something very similar). The cold starts were amazing!

[@russellbrown8377]

My favourite amg is the sl55amg. Big brutal supercharged 5.4litre v8.

[@mikenorris5378]

Fabulous car. Proper cheap now but trips the garage could be stressful.

[@gsthree9534]

Yep. Loved the torque of that thing. The ABC/ power steering pump nonsense put me off so sold the car but it was fun beast in a straight line. German muscle.

[@gsthree9534]

My favorite was our CLK 63 Cab. That motor is a classic. 6.2 liters that revs to 7k. As a cab it was fairly reserved and built for the ladies. The thing was very fast and the engine just made me giggle. The 7 speed auto was reasonably good as well. And of course it was a fully loaded merc so it was a lux box. Hated to sell it.

[@805NAVE]

Nonya Business I prefer the CLK55 AMG body style, gorgeous!

[@Changingtesting]

@@805NAVEglad someone still talks about this car, I have one and there is almost no online talk nor aftermarket support for them 😢

[@Mercedes_Benz_Bros.]

Im a proud owner of a rare Arctic white C43 AMG, absaluty adore it. Such a classy car

[@cgrist7000]

This is a high speed highway bomber!!

[@davespooney8472]

The C43 is a much underrated car, I’m a fan of the C36 - even if that hard edged 6 pot is mated to an old 4 speed auto. The V8 wins in that respect. The C36 is a true AMG.

[@hspd8607]

The facelift C36 from 1996 and on has the 5 speed gearbox but what I have read on forums the 4speed is more reliable.

[@KameraGuy]

actually only 1997 had the 5 speed.@@hspd8607

[@tomaszgadnicki814]

Great car! I’ve got Sport C280 with M112 and manual transmission! I love to drive it!

[@zfloz9895]

It displays not matters to much how the steering felt. The chassis, can take a mid corner change, with no issue. Following the line that the driver impose, is what the merc engineering did to the suspension. The steering is like that, so that at cruise, you will not have to always correct the line. Is so relaxing, and it makes it a grate fast tourer.

[@TheMuzikall]

The First official Benz AMG is the C36..but the M3 chewed it up hence the C43 then the C55 which is very rare

[@shemphouse]

Just grabbed an 06 C55, need to sort it out

[@kristianspencer1978]

The supercharged E55 is my favourite merc it’s a beast.

[@Birmingham_racing]

My friend has a c36 in like a burgundy colour looks pretty decent. It's defiantly a sleeper. The power of the c36 puts it on par with the e36 m3 3 litre while the c43 power puts it on par with the e36 m3 Evo 3.2

[@spainter1985]

That's a lovely looking example of a C43, particularly like these in estate form too!

[@viperautovalet4479]

I bought one 3 weeks ago and in estate form. The same colour as this one.

[@CarToneHK]

I've always loved the CLK and C 63 Black Series

[@Hassanhadi2607]

8:14 I’d say my favourite is the e55 w211. But the best one in that era is the supercharged s55. That ABC suspension was revolutionary

[@ademc8872]

Owned a c32 for 4 years in tanzanite blue and designo espresso beige interior. Loved the thing so much. You should do a C32.

[@MrSharpe95]

Not a Mercedes fan but....that is a beautiful car!! Lovely V8 burble , if you were blind folded you'd know it was a merc by the sound. A 3pointed star I'd buy. Great review as always 😀

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

I had one and in the same colour! Oh the memories..... I loved it.

[@Sihijuoma667]

I own W210 E55 AMG and its hard to find any negatives of it. It looks classy. It is one of the best driving cars i know. It is enough sporty being fast when needed but the ride is sooo good when just cruising. You don't need to drive it fast everywhere. I find myself driving it much more "calmly" than my previous C32 AMG. I was dreaming of supercharged W211 AMG but not anymore.

[@poovaneswaransupramaniam6706]

absolute beauty

[@bwest6275]

First AMG? C36 has entered the chat....

[@KameraGuy]

you have no clue@@w202c43uk

[@WhiteMouse77]

I think the first road going AMG was 190E produced in limited number as condition of homologation process for this car when it was racing in DTM and European tourenwagen championship as well. There were 3 stages of this AMG 190E class. Evolution I. was narrow body with standard rear wing and EVO II. was wide body with huge wing. I loved it and consider this one as core of AMG roots in means of non-racing production. Last year was auctioned one of these and price was pushed up to universe figures ....

[@ikwuochejohndavid7000]

Price?

[@enigmatwist6548]

There were a few before the AMG 190 but the W202 C36 AMG was the first car codeveloped with Mercedes. Prior to that AMG was a aftermarket tuning company a lot like Brabus is now. The Evo 190 1/2 had no input from AMG and used a 4 pot developed in conjunction with Cosworth. The AMG 190 used a 3.2 6 cylinder engine and was very much AMG’s own thing.

[@philipcooper8297]

Speaking of letting the gearbox do its own thing, that's the best thing to do. These suffer from manual shifting. All of them from w124/201/126, to w210/202/220.

[@havocmwf]

I might be wrong but the biodegradable wiring looms were discontinued after 1996. So any year after then should be good to go.

[@hanssaubermann6814]

I have a w202 c280 and a s202 230k . Honestly i love these cars. In my opinion they are a lot underestemated.

[@graemew7001]

I agree about the one stalk thing, I found that really annoying on the 190E I used to drive at work. I also found the auto box in that car very dim witted and the kick down was dreadful, a case of press for it and then wait until the box decided it wanted to kick down, I never really trusted that feature on it. I like this car you drove, more a motorway car than a back road blaster in my opinion.

[@TheMuzikall]

Mercedes engineer their Cars with your Grandma in mind in case She wants a AMG too Regardless of the Horsepower And to compare ST Mondeo to this C43 is comical Even the C280 is a better car than the Mondeo ST✅

[@tomosroberts1294]

My dad had one of them. The previous owner had modified it to the point it was unreal fast, Touch the throttle it backside would kick out and wheel spin in 4th gear. He got rid as it was to much for him, later did we find out by the next owner that dino tested it and he got a whooping 787bhp! Last we heard the car is stashed away in some posh person house in Chester.

[@G55STEYR]

It really loves being revved in 2, 3, you just have to know the shifter, and being the same pattern since the Pagoda it's easy. And it's faster than the M3, but of course the mod is the 5.5 L engine or a blower, or even betterL both

[@EGGLOVER2010]

Loved these since I saw Hoovies

[@15DEAN1995]

This generation of merc is genuinely badass. If I could own one of these I would because to me there are few cars I consider cooler than a boxy merc with a v8.

[@Otrebor0707]

I had 2 C43s. One had an engine transplanted from S55. Both needed transmission changed unfortunately. I miss them. Now into air cooled PORSCHE 911, but on a lookout for another C43.

[@mrbagins3774]

Would you like to review my C36 AMG?

[@ryanmccormick2150]

Congrats on hitting 30k and another cracking review 😉

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Cheers Ryan

[@maybelive765]

literally the best one.

[@barbershoppodcast]

I have a nice black C230 with both a staggered and square set of monoblocks. With a nice tint, I enjoy the classic looks and great highway response, nice ride and handling in the city with gas/insurance and taxes for a 2.3 litre motor. I have my E39 540i for my displacement desires -

[@robinmarples5198]

So à good looking car. I wanted one few years ago. A car for the connaisseurs

[@MrCarrera28]

Great video, I love cars like these which are a bit different and not made to the same would as all the other cars.

[@uffukgan2720]

Wow , was just watching AMG history and notification comes with this , enjoying it as always.

[@campkira]

That how the recommendation work...

[@AfricaGeo]

Greetings from the states , love the video and you seem like a real car guy..I'm subscribing.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Geo. I am in the USA filming currently, in NC

[@GpLuigi16]

Man that thing is loaded for the year of the car!

[@Kevin-ky5vg]

I love these. It’s kind of a “baby Hammer” in my opinion.

[@rrocktoo]

Nice car and great review. But, I wonder what sound rolling PR heads make?

[@itsalgud1459]

Congratulations on hitting the 30,000 mark, Jay! You deserve every bit of it and more! As to the AMG badge, I believe it was started by a former Mercedes engineer and when it was successful, it was bought out by Mercedes who made the engineer the man in charge at AMG. Unfortunately, I fear that AMG has been terribly watered down these last few years over what it once was. I live in Denver, not a place well known for exotic cars, but I see an AMG on every street corner. I guess it’s just the way things go. It’s just a slightly more deluxe brand over a deluxe brand.😩 I remember when AMG first came along, and all the gearheads would get all excited every time a new one came out. Now, no one notices, and for good reason.😞

[@rafael123loek]

Love the W202 but my all time favourite is the W210 E55 AMG (pre facelift)

[@ivanwhisker6932]

Its not the original the c36 was a hand built engine yhat xame from the 3.2 m104 engine rebored to 3.6 this isnt a true amg as they just dropped a big engine in it and called it an amg

[@hadrianmyers]

My dude has the most fantastic car review shirt on youtube.

[@georgeapplegate2091]

Test drove one of these before i purchased my evo - i dont think i really appreciated it for what it was, plus it didnt deliver the smiles like the evo -BUT - theyre fantastic cars with plenty of character, shame about only having 308 brake or whatever it is.. I must admit if i had the money and a 'harrys garage' one of these would feature :). Loved the 2tone leather !Wish my c63 had the verticle star badge instead of a flat badge ! I did fancy the slk55 with 475 hp, but was worried about having a girly car. I did test drive a c55 amg before getting a c63 a year or so later and the c55 felt like a slug considering its 367 brake - just a bit too weighty for its power i guess, whereas the 63 is bonkers.

[@robinmarples5198]

The sound of it is gorgeous, so much more good to ear than the new C43 amg.

[@carsyoungtimerfreak1149]

There was a C36 as well, if I remember correctly. With a 3.6L in line six.

[@visionist7]

I was in the market for one of these years and years ago, a red one. Never went for it. Very cool car.

[@Little6]

Great content as usual. I support you JayEmm.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Eric!

[@thomasreid8504]

I love my BLACL ON BLACK C43 with 162K mikes. Makes me feel 20 years younger when I drive it. But after owning it for 9 years I would sell it for $10K . Great video.

[@Oystein87]

Funny you mentioned that. I had a 2009 C class W204. Good car but could have bigger space behind the front seats. And it's only really fun with manual gear like I had. Unless it's a AMG. And I would preffer the facelift. Mostly because of the newer dash but also the headlights- Atleast with xenon. The people that got it with old halogen bulbs must have been drunk. Or Mercedes drunk to even offer it... I would like a E class W212 facelift but with manual gear! And that combo is a little hard to find :( It's a shame most newer cars have automatic :(

[@mrmatthewpaul]

Nice C43 very clean. The steering needs some attention but it is very nice.

[@Pa3cE]

I love w202 😍

[@dxutube]

Fav is CL65 C215. Because it's just so, so ridiculous. & therefore characterful.

[@zachdebuhr6347]

my favorite AMG is the CL65

[@zesthraxGaming]

I love my 99 c43 AMG but i have some dislikes about it. -gearbox shifts slower than my 99 Toyota Tacoma. -ESP is too sensitive -steering is soft -the adaptive transmission module feature makes it only drive smoothly while your driving as throttle heavy as you were when you first drove the car,(unless you constantly reset it)…

[@seigma5340]

In regard to my favourite AMG, it has to be either the w221 S63 with the 6.2 or the w211 E55 wagon. I just love the M156, but at the same time I feel like the C63 was way too sporty looking for what I was looking in a benz, the w221 matched all the ticks for what I'm looking in a modern AMG, and yes even the prelift W212 did, I just didn't like the style. The E55 is my wagon pick alternative to the S63. Nowadays pretty much the only AMG I'd buy is the S.

[@thebog11]

Like he says, not really an M3 competitor. Softer, not as quick, with no manual option. But a great investment - you used to be able to pick these up for virtually nothing, and they're certain to go up in value.

[@pitbox6497]

Not much of a Mercedes fan, but that V8 is so tuneful, it’s exactly how a an engine should sound

[@subarnosinha8042]

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is my fav, with the full fat 6.2l nat asp V8, which roars like a f*cking beast. And it has gull-wing doors, so COOL!!!

[@Mechanical_Insanity]

The reason why they didnt put stocks on both sides of the wheel is very simple. Because you put the key in the dashboard on the right side behind the steering wheel. If there was a stock its very annoying to get your key in the ignition.

[@bigjml]

C36 was the 1st joint development between AMG and Mercedes. Mercedes never took over AMG till 1999

[@lightofjahs]

Love it great car, more old mercs and beemers please.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

There's another old Merc video coming soon

[@chrisg7011]

Beautiful car.

[@alexluke84]

There was also a C55 AMG of this generation

[@samfallow18]

Favourite AMG? Easy, the W124 Hammer.

[@donald86]

Jay, now where on the subject of V8 saloon’s...could you try and review an Audi B6 or 7 S4? I just got one with an automatic transmission and, other than the fuel consumption, I think it’s a pretty lovely car. I’d love to hear your opinion on it... Great channel, keep ik up!!

[@RichardAnderson99]

See if someone will lend you a CLK 63 Black :-) Obviously not Merc PR dept then....though to be fair, I think your choice of shirts may have put them off!

[@ryancarey766]

Thanks!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Ryan! That's very kind

[@petermcginnity5572]

Good stuff. How do you know if a car is genuine AMG and not a few badges stuck on.

[@schunkelperser1794]

History! Car culture!

[@devlad]

I used to covet this thing so bad. The last model AMG I truly liked aside from this one was the 2006 or so W211 E55

[@jackthehat8593]

I owned an E55 for a while. Was a decent car and with the remap and pulley kit had 522bhp and 634lbft of torque. Getting power down at low speeds was interesting. The suspension in anything other than comfort was shocking though. The 5 speed auto is stronger than the 7 speed in the E63 but it's slooow. I'd definitely recommend one though. Just don't expect it to be a sports car.

[@devlad]

@@jackthehat8593 That would suit me fine. I love supercharged cars and large cruisers. My first car was a supercharged LS1 in a large sedan with a 4-speed auto. Loved that thing.

[@golferboggie]

Favourite is the AMG Black Series C of course. Any plans of a review on that?

[@JayEmmOnCars]

If I could find one I would