Clarkson: head to head in the C63 AMG Black and M3 GTS

What you see here is a BMW M3 GTS and a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Edition. Both are small two-door German saloons. Both have been pumped up to a notch hitherto only used by Spinal Tap. Both have been stiffened and lowered. Both make a proper racket. Both cost more than £100,000. Both go like stink. Both have lightning-fast seven-speed gearboxes. And both are utterly brilliant.

You'd imagine, then, that they are both very similar. And they are, in the same way that a Chinese takeaway is exactly the same as an Indian takeaway. Both come from Asia. Both arrive on a moped. And both can cause a little discomfort the following morning. But they are completely different.

Words: Jeremy Clarkson
Photos: Justin Leighton, Rod Fountain

This feature was originally published in the February 2012 issue of Top Gear magazine