The 831bhp Merc-AMG 63 S E Performance costs £173,655

Remember when the plug-in hybrid version of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4dr was revealed last year? Of course you do, it develops 831bhp and 1,084lb ft of torque for crying out loud.

Well, the most powerful series production car ever to emerge from AMG’s base in Affalterbach is now officially on sale, and it’s priced from £173,655. Yeah. We’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

Recovered? Good. That’s quite a step up from the standard AMG GT 4dr Coupe (at a mere £141,855), but then the numbers are all much heftier too: 0-62mph is said to take 2.9 seconds, with 0-124mph happening in less than 10. Top speed? 196mph.

All that performance comes from a combination of 4.0-litre V8 turbo and a 201bhp electric motor working in tandem, but left to its own devices the 6.1kWh battery - mounted on the rear axle along with the motor - manages just over seven miles of range. So this isn’t a commute-on-leccy, holiday-on-petrol kind of plug-in.

Don’t let fuel economy of 36mpg fool you either: with the latter depleted you can expect closer to the 22.1mpg achieved by the GT 63 S.

So what do you get? A charging port (obviously), plus air suspension, ceramic brakes, seven different drive modes, four more AMG Dynamics modes, 21-inch forged wheels and five-spoke alloys, plus a smattering of monikers to let occupants and passers by know that this is the E Performance version of the Mercedes-AMG 63 S.

The first deliveries are expected in the UK in April, although Merc notes that the special edition ‘green hell magno’ finish isn’t available on these shores.