Mercedes GLK Wild X204 Has V8 Heart & 6-Speed Manual

Using all Mercedes parts, someone’s made the six-speed, thunderous V8 X204 of our dreams.
 

Sometimes you have to wonder why Mercedes doesn’t dive into the parts bin and make some epic cars. We’ve known of manual swapped W210’s and W211’s. But this is one of the first times we’ve seen a manual swapped X204. And it is not just manual swapped. It also has the M273 5.5 liter V8. Yeah, we’re all in for this kind of madness.
 
Found over on Cars & Bids, this one-of-a-kind build has some neat details thrown in to the build. Gone is the 4Matic system in the GLK and in its place is the 6-speed manual from a C300. In fact, the entire build is all done with OEM parts, meaning functionality of the car’s comfort features remains. ABS, traction control, even cruise control all still work as they should. Control of all items is done through the E550 V8 donor’s ECU, but all displayed on a newer generation GLK instrument cluster. Everything looks like it is meant to be where it is, and could look factory if you didn’t really know.
 

Rear Wheel-Only
With drive wheels now only at the back, the GLK is transformed. Though the wheels and tires suggest off-road capability, the new drivetrain layout this GLK would be more at home in a burnout competition, than at Moab. Especially because power is now at 382 ponies.
 
Better yet, it would be more fun to surprise some folks with this car being quite a sleeper. If the E550’s 0-60 time is anything to go by, a number of “fast” sports car drivers could be caught out. Especially drivers that aren’t paying close attention to the “GLK550” badging on the back of this build.
 

Perfect Match
That makes us think, this driveline setup would be quite excellent in a W204 C-class. All this power in a somewhat lighter chassis, rear drive only, 6-speed manual… It almost makes us think the GLK is the wrong donor for this engine. But one thing is true, this car is universally liked for one simple reason. Manual transmissions make anything better. Including crossover SUVs that are otherwise anonymous traffic.