The annual Cannes Film Festival isn't just a place to screen the latest movies and rub shoulders with the stars, but a fabulous opportunity for advertising your latest wares. Mercedes-Benz is doing just that this year, but is doing so for charity—by auctioning an S63 AMG Coupe for the benefit of the amfAR Foundation.
The car will be auctioned on May 22, during the Cinema Against AIDS Gala at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. amFAR co-chairman Lewis Hamilton will be responsible for announcing the winning bidder, who will get to accompany the F1 champ (and current 2014 championship leader) at a future race event. The car itself, with options chosen by the winning bidder, will be handed over at the AMG company headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany.
The winning bidder will receive quite a car—each S63 AMG Coupe is powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 biturbo engine, developing 585 horsepower and a chunky 664 pound-feet of torque. The car was launched at the New York Auto Show last month, with a sleek design, S-Class derived interior and 140 pounds less mass than its predecessor.
Mercedes' appearance at Cannes isn't its first. In 2012, the company made headlines by bringing a fleet of golden-painted vehicles to the event, shuttling stars from place to place and once again assisting the work of amFAR. In 2011, Kanye West turned up to the Festival at the wheel of a McLaren-Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss—one of just 75 examples ever built. This year's Cannes Film Festival is already underway, and runs until May 25.
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