Mercedes-Benz Engine
M159
The Mercedes-Benz M159 is a DOHC V8 gasoline piston engine.
- Years
- 2011–2014
- Configuration
- V8
- Fuel
- Gasoline
- Top power
- 631 PS
The M156 taken apart and rebuilt so that a gullwing could sit lower on the road.
Putting the V8 behind the front axle was only half the problem; AMG also wanted it as close to the ground as the sump would allow, so it removed the sump. The M159 runs dry-sump lubrication with a scavenge pump, a pressure pump and a five-liter tank ahead of the engine, 13.5 liters in circulation and up to 700 liters a minute drawn straight out of the crankcase and heads. More than 120 components were redesigned along the way: camshafts with 42 degrees of adjustment, a new intake system, flow-optimized tubular steel headers, a dethrottled exhaust, forged pistons half a kilogram lighter than the cast ones they replaced.
At launch in 2010 the 6.2-liter unit gave 571 PS at 6,800 rpm and 650 N·m at 4,750 — by AMG’s reckoning the most powerful naturally aspirated production engine then on sale. The SLS AMG GT lifted it to 591 PS, and the Black Series to 631 PS at 7,400 rpm. Its second career has outlasted the first: a version has powered the Mercedes-AMG GT3 since 2014, still winning races long after the road cars, and naturally aspirated AMG V8s in general, were discontinued.
Versions.
Every factory version of the M159.
| Version | Displacement | Bore × Stroke | Compression | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 159.980 | 6,208 cc | 102.2 × 94.6 mm | 11.3 | 420 kW (563 hp; 571 PS) at 6,800 rpm | 650 N·m (479 lb·ft) at 4,750 rpm |
| 159.980 (GT) | 6,208 cc | 102.2 × 94.6 mm | 11.3 | 435 kW (583 hp; 591 PS) at 6,800 rpm | 650 N·m (479 lb·ft) at 4,750 rpm |
| 159.980 (Black Series) | 6,208 cc | 102.2 × 94.6 mm | 11.3 | 464 kW (622 hp; 631 PS) at 7,400 rpm | 635 N·m (468 lb·ft) at 5,500 rpm |