Mercedes wasn’t the first automaker to stuff a behemoth powerplant into the engine bay of an everyday passenger car. And they certainly won’t be the last. But their skunkworks AMG division has learned a thing or two over the years about transforming your mom’s luxury car into Satan’s drag racer. This Arctic White C63, based on the company’s best selling C-Class luxury car, was found loitering on Spring Street one sunny July afternoon. Although buffs can quickly spot the C63 AMG’s aesthetic tweaks – like a gaping face, wider track, unique 18-inch wheels and AMG body kit all around – the car is a relative sleeper to those who cross its path. But there is nothing ordinary or everyday about a hand-built 6.2-liter V8 that sends 451 HP to the rear wheels and rockets to 60 MPH in 4.3 seconds. C63 competes against similarly intentioned luxury rods from BMW, Audi, Cadillac and Lexus. But with sustainable energy on the drawing board at nearly every major automaker, who knows how long you will be able to buy one of these power mongers. Get ‘em while you can people.

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Jaguar was good enough to have us out to Monticello Motor Club to sample their new and improved line of 2010 “R” spec models. Not only does that “R” stand for racing but we figured that the track was an ideal setting to properly experience 510 HP and one of the more impressive suspension systems we have encountered lately. Sure, we drove around the beautiful Monticello back country to get a sense of real world road manners, which were silky smooth and bank vault quiet, but nothing beats punching the gas on a long straight away or holding on for dear life during a physics-defying powerslide.

You may or may not be aware of the AMG-esq performance variants available for each of Jaguar’s classy offerings [XK, XF, XJ]. Think of the 2010 XKR and XFR (XJ is all new for 2010 so expect a new XJR model to follow) as sophisticated London gentleman with nasty additions to anabolic steroids. They are plush, comfortable and supremely composed when you want them to be but are ready to unleash the beast when the urge arises for excitement and speeding tickets.

Jaguar figured that a traditional TV campaign would not quite cut the mustard when it came to conquesting owners of competitive European hot rods like BMW M5/M6 and Mercedes E63/SL63. That is where the Legendary Performance Tour comes into play, offering enthusiasts from around the country an up close and personal experience with these British power mongers. Even better, they hired a slew of professional race car drivers to accompany consumers on drives and provide instruction [check out the slideshow picture with Davy Jones and JD Ellis] during this multi-city effort. Trust us, one hot lap with with a guy like Davy Jones and these things are as good as sold.

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These beefed up NISMO Zs are pretty damn rare. Nissan tells us that a mere 1,500 were built for the North American market. In case you didn’t know, NISMO is Nissan’s in house tuner arm that takes already hot products like Z and GT-R and ups the performance ante. Considering the track ready components lurking beneath the skin, you would expect to see this Z on a race track rather than 2nd Avenue.

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