The times, they are a-changin at AMG. There are electric SUV AMGs, four-cylinder C63 AMGs, and more A-Class-based AMGs than anyone can keep track of. The times are changing for everybody, of course, though it just seems that much more drastic with AMG.

Perhaps we all just got a bit too used to awesome engines going in any Mercedes available that we’re now missing what we had with it no longer here. Again, that’s a feeling that will afflict many people who love certain brands, yet seems more acute for AMG. Perhaps it was inevitable when its best-known engine was a 6.2-litre V8 found in everything from a Mercedes R-Class to an AMG GT race car. Whatever the case, and with some spectacular petrol cars still in the AMG line up – with the 840hp E-Performance GT 4-door imminent as well – it seems like the good old days are already attracting a premium.

Those late CLKs that were blessed with the M156 V8 as a final flourish are going up; some C63 507s are still the best part of £50k; and it seems that even SLK AMGs, perhaps on account of the rarity and the lunacy of a V8 in a TT rival, are appreciating. But thanks to the sheer volume of AMG powerhouses made over the years, and the punchy running costs that are all part of the fun, there are still AMG bargains out there. There’s a reason why they make such good Brave Pill fodder…

This CLS55 isn’t your average old AMG, however. Oh no. Typically when looking at £10k V8s you’ll be lucky to get an MOT expiry date and any…