This is a Mercedes-AMG G63 Edition 1, seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the summer of 2019. The big Benz appeared to be brand new and looked imposing under the green trees near the Lido Hotel.
The Mercedes-AMG G63 Edition 1 was a limited-launch edition of the Mercedes-AMG G63. It was painted in a special color, Designo Night Black Magno, with Graphite Grey sports stripes on the doors and red stripes over the mirrors.
The Mercedes-AMG G63 Edition 1 arrived in early 2019. The engine is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, packing 577 hp and 850 Nm. It has a 220 km/h top speed and 0-100 takes 4.5 seconds.
The interior of the Edition 1 featured black-red Nappa leather seats, red seat belts, red stitching, and ‘Red pepper’ carbon fiber trim. My photo is too dark to see all that, but this one is better.
In China, the Edition 1 cost 2.468 million yuan. The standard C63 AMG arrived a few months later and sold for 2.158 million yuan. That’s a lot of extra cash for a few red details and fancy paint!
The Editon 1 also had matte black 22-inch forged wheels with a red edge, red brake calipers, and ventilated brake discs.
Blue 京A license plates
Authorities issued 京A license plates to the first batches of privately registered cars in Beijing. Most blue 京A plates appeared in the early 1990s. When one of these cars was later crushed or otherwise removed from the streets, its plates became available again.
In the 2000s, blue 京A license plates became status symbols among the newly wealthy, who believed early plates signified early wealth. So, wealthy individuals began buying genuine cars with blue 京A plates, sending them to the crusher, and transferring the plates to newer, more expensive cars.
The plate on this Mercedes-AMG G63 Edition 1 is even more special. Nine and eight are lucky numbers in Chinese culture. The car’s plate number features one eight and two nines! Lucky car and a lucky owner. Mercedes-AMG didn’t sell many of these Edition 1 cars in China, so they are very rare. This was the first one I had ever seen.