Mercedes S-class Coupe concept (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

This is the new Mercedes S-class Coupe concept, revealed this morning at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. And let’s kill two Mercedes S-class Coupe concept red herrings with one stone straight away. First off, don’t be thrown by the name: the S-class Coupe is indeed the replacement for the CL. The new moniker is an effort, as with the E-class and C-class coupes, to simplify Mercedes’s ballooning range. Plus, the ‘concept’ tag should be taken with a pinch of salt. Although this show car sports a natty grille and exaggerated body surfacing, it’s pretty close to the showroom-ready S-class Coupe CAR scooped testing earlier in 2013.

Remember that the S-class Coupe concept rides on 21in wheels and you’ll get an idea of this scale of this giant two-door. It’s more than five metres long, nearly two metres wide but, at 1409mm tall, is 12mm lower than its S-class saloon sister.

Up front, you’ve got a more aggressive integration of the S-class saloon’s snout, with a prominent ‘rising star’ badge a la SLS AMG. The splitter element in the lower grille apes the look of the facelifted E63 AMG, and will likely be saved for the flagship AMG versions.

As with the old CL there are no B-pillars for that sleek look when all four windows are lowered, though the flanks are dominated by the new styling lines that flow down the side of the doors into the rear panels. A typically CL-esque wraparound rear window is present, though the slim taillights and integrated exhaust have a hint of BMW Concept 4-series about them. Coupes are of course all about form before function: do you like the results? Add your verdict on the Mercedes S-class coupe show car in the comments below.

Wouldn’t you just know it – it’s an S-class with snazzy garnish! While the vivid blue lighting, sleek seats and new air vents do add a dash of futuristic cool to the already impressive S-class cabin, it’s unlikely you’ll see too many hardware changes between the two- and four-door S-class when the Coupe formally joins the range in 2014.

That doesn’t mean they’ll be identical: the flat-bottomed steering wheel, wafer-thin paddleshifters and extra gauges above the car’s transmission tunnel all provide subtle hints this is the sportier S-class – the one to drive yourself.

No, there are oily bits under the skin. Powering the S-class Coupe concept is a 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8, developing 449bhp and 516lb ft. Expect a full suite of blown V8 and V12 engines in the production model, including 600bhp+ 63 and 65 AMG versions.

By Ollie Kew