Rare 2007 Mercedes-Benz R 63 AMG Is A 503-HP Minivan You Can Buy

By now, the motoring world is very familiar with the high-performance nomenclature of Mercedes-Benz. Take the number 63, put a letter (or letters) in front of it, and you have something special. And for just one year – 2007 to be specific – that included the R 63. Wait, what?

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class lived a relatively short life, unveiled as a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in 2005 and marketed as definitely not a minivan for 12 years. Its swoopy shape and available seven-passenger seating certainly fit within the minivan world, but standard rear doors in place of sliders set it apart from the Honda Odysseys and Toyota Siennas of the day. Some might call it a technicality, or you could call the R-Class an early example of the crossover. Whatever you call it, sales were terrifically underwhelming and as such, it was dropped from North America in 2012 and disappeared globally in 2017.

However, for one brief moment in history, Mercedes gave the R-Class a full-on AMG upfit to create the R 63. Only 200 were built for the entire world in 2007, and the one featured here is currently up for auction in California. According to the listing, it's done 144,000 miles and comes with extras like an OEM cargo box, roof rack, and W100-inspired custom wheels painted to match the exterior. The stock five-spoke AMG wheels are also included for those who want a bit more visual shock, just in case the quad exhaust pipes out the back aren't enough.

The listing also mentions recent maintenance and a bit of paintwork to fix some scratches, but the title and a CarFax report are said to be clean. It rides on a factory air suspension that can raise and lower the minivan MPV; lowering links are installed now but the stock links come with the sale. The auction doesn't mention anything about this R 63 having the optional AMG Driver's Package, which is needed to unlock the 171-mph top speed. Without it, this three-row family vehicle is limited to only 155 mph, but sprints to 60 mph should still be around 4.5 seconds.

Bidding is at $16,000 as we post this article, with seven days still to go. Considering this is one of the rarest AMG models ever built (but definitely not a minivan), any wagers on how much it will sell for?