The history of AMG has always been linked to that of Mercedes-Benz, not because there was a collaboration between the two, but because AMG knew how to take advantage of the opportunity that arose when Mercedes-Benz left the competition back in the sixties of the last century.
From its inception as a brand, all Mercedes-Benz creations have been characterized by their high levels of quality and the comfort they offer their occupants. In fact, until relatively recently, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars lacked the sporty touch that, for example, characterized BMWs, which in turn weren't as "comfortable" as Mercedes-Benz. Let's review this history.
Mercedes-Benz before AMG
Mercedes-Benz was already a well-established and renowned vehicle manufacturer in the first half of the 20th century . During World War II, its collaboration with Adolf Hitler's Nazi government allowed it to maintain all its industrial activity and benefit from various favors from the regime. Thus, once the armed conflict ended, Mercedes-Benz Argentina was founded by businessman Jorge Antonio Chibene using Nazi money stored in Switzerland and sent to Argentina in a diplomatic pouch.
This move allowed Mercedes-Benz to begin a solid expansion throughout South America while also enabling certain German exiles, such as Ricardo Klement, to start a new life. Klement arrived as a technician and ended up as the manager of Mercedes-Benz Argentina. This would be a remarkable achievement were it not for the fact that this man was born Otto Adolf Eichmann and had been responsible for the logistics of the concentration camps and directly responsible for the Final Solution to the Jewish question, or the Holocaust.
Despite having every advantage to embark on any project it desired, Mercedes-Benz always maintained a discreet presence in the world of motorsport . While it's true that Mercedes-Benz vehicles were always present in all major competitions, as a manufacturer, the Stuttgart-based company (Stuart? in English) always preferred to remain somewhat on the sidelines.
Mercedes-Benz leaves the competition
On June 11, 1955, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France, the Mercedes-Benz W198 300 SLR driven by French driver Pierre Eugène Alfred Boullin, known as Pierre Levegh, was struck by Lance Macklin's Austin-Healey. As a result of the collision, the Mercedes-Benz was launched into the air and, due to its magnesium construction, disintegrated, killing the French driver, whose body lay on the asphalt, and eighty-two spectators who were watching the race.
Aside from the ban on motorsport events in several countries, this accident led to Mercedes-Benz's gradual withdrawal from competition . After the accident, the brand still participated in some touring car and rally events, but only until 1964, when Mercedes-Benz completely abandoned motorsport.
The birth of AMG
That Mercedes-Benz left the competition was bad news and not only for the show. It was also a jug of cold water for the workers of the sports division of the brand, especially for those who lived their work with passion.
In 1964, following Mercedes-Benz's announcement, engineers Hans-Werner Aufrecht , from the dynamometer department, and Erhard Melcher , from the testing department, began modifying Mercedes-Benz vehicles for racing. They did this entirely by hand in Aufrecht's garage in the small town of Grossaspach. They decided to call their still-nascent project AMG, a combination of the initials of their surnames, A and M, and the initial of the town, G.
When the garage of the family home became too small, they decided to move to an old mill in the town of Burgstall, and in 1967 they created a company dedicated to the engineering, design and manufacture of engines for competition.
the red pig
Based on the prior experience of its founders, AMG decided to specialize in modifying Mercedes-Benz vehicles , something the brand didn't particularly welcome, as it happily sold vehicles that would go directly to the old AMG factory, where they would extract a bit more power from the engine and/or have some aesthetic enhancements added to give their vehicles a sportier look. But AMG's fame, almost worldwide, arrived when a millionaire customer of the three-pointed star brand wanted to transform his Mercedes-Benz W109 300 SEL 6.3 into a race car.
The initial modifications were not very successful, and in the first tests they suffered an accident when they lost control of the vehicle. However, to everyone's surprise, in 1972 they appeared at the 24 Hours of Spa race at the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps circuit with an evolution of the aforementioned Mercedes-Benz, equipped with a 6.834 cc engine producing 313 kilowatts of power (502 cc and 129 kilowatts more than the original model), which received the affectionate nickname " the red pig ."
In addition to modifications to the engine block, this car was fitted with aluminum doors, and the rear seats and door panels had been removed to reduce weight . The track width was also increased to accommodate wider tires , and a roll cage was installed. The braking system, however, remained unchanged.
Despite the challenging layout of the Belgian circuit, this AMG-modified car achieved a very commendable second place thanks to the speed it was capable of reaching on straights and through sweeping corners. And, experts say, it could have won the race were it not for its excessive fuel and tire consumption.
Unexpectedly, not even by the AMG engineers, the fact that an independent manufacturer achieved second place generated more news coverage than the victory of the Ford Capri RS 2600 driven by Spanish driver Alex Soler-Roig.
This glory in competition was short-lived because the Fédération Internationale de l'Autmobile, the FIA, limited the capacity of racing engines to 5.000 cubic centimeters in a new regulation that no one could explain, although all eyes pointed to the same place…
Despite this setback, AMG's success began to grow exponentially, and they started receiving orders from all over Europe to the point of being completely overwhelmed with work. The situation became somewhat complicated when, four years after starting operations, Erhard Melcher decided to leave the company, although he remained as an external consultant, a role he combined with various collaborations in the motorcycle sector.
In addition, since the five units of "the red pig" built could not be used in competition for exceeding the displacement stipulated by the FIA, they were falling into disrepair. One of them was even sold to an aviation company that used it to develop landing gear.
AMG and its “friendship” with Mercedes-Benz
Thanks to Hans-Werner Aufrecht's friendship with his former bosses, AMG entered a new phase. While still participating in some motorsport, the company focused on improving the aesthetics and performance of Mercedes-Benz vehicles . These developments were made possible almost simultaneously thanks to information obtained from contacts at the Stuttgart headquarters. In fact, for years, their flagship products were sport seats, smaller steering wheels, and styling packages for coupe models, although in Spain many of us may have come to know AMG primarily through their wheel catalogs.
For years, a peculiar and self-serving cold war raged between Mercedes-Benz and AMG . Mercedes-Benz was fully aware of the growing number of customers interested in AMG modifications, while AMG, in turn, was so specialized in Mercedes-Benz products that it had focused exclusively on the three-pointed star's vehicles and had no interest in creating any problems.
The 80s were a prosperous time for AMG and for the improvement of its relationship with Mercedes-Benz . First came the arrival of AMG accessories at Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Then, in 1988, this positive relationship materialized with Mercedes-Benz's first order for AMG : the preparation of the Mercedes-Benz W201 190 2.3 16 for competition, also offering AMG the opportunity to become Mercedes-Benz's official team in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM).
The success of this union of synergies was key to the future of both companies both at the level of competition and with regard to the individual client.
At the competitive level, this new collaboration was inaugurated with the victory in 1992 in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) of driver Klaus Ludwin at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz W201 190E 2.5 16 Evolution II , prepared by AMG.
For private customers, Mercedes-Benz launched a new range of vehicles that, with the AMG designation, became the benchmark for performance. The first member of this series was the Mercedes-Benz W202 C36 AMG, released in 1995. This vehicle was based on the Mercedes-Benz C280 Sport but featured a 3.606 cc M104 engine producing 206 kilowatts of power. This model would be the first of a generation of vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, tuned by AMG, and sold through the official Mercedes-Benz network.
In 1996, more as an administrative curiosity than a practical change, AMG ceased to be an engine manufacturer and became an automobile manufacturer . To celebrate this "event," the Mercedes-Benz W210 E50 AMG was launched, equipped with the 4.973 cc M119E50AMG engine producing 255 kilowatts of maximum power.
1997 was a pivotal year in AMG's relationship with Mercedes-Benz. The joint project's success was confirmed with over 5.000 C36 AMG units and over 2.000 E50 AMG units registered. This success led to a thorough update of both vehicles, resulting in the new C43 AMG and E55 AMG, with power outputs of 225 kilowatts for the W202 and 260 kilowatts for the W210.
AMG as part of Mercedes-Benz
On January 1, 1999, the company Mercedes-AMG Gmbh is founded as a subsidiary of Daimer Chrysler AG dedicated to the preparation of high-performance vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. In turn, to avoid compatibility problems with the relationship that Mercedes-Benz had with McLaren, the competition division of AMG was sold to the company HWA AG, a major player in the organization of the German DTM championship.
From this point on, Mercedes-Benz began marketing models with the AMG designation across almost its entire range . These models were characterized by the high performance of their engines and, as you may have noticed, by their two-digit numerical designation.
In 2010, the first vehicle manufactured by AMG appeared: the Mercedes-Benz C197 SLS AMG . Without a numerical designation, this vehicle arrived as a modern take on the classic Mercedes-Benz W198 300 SL Gullwing Coupe.
AMG as a lifestyle
Listening to the market can sometimes make the difference between success and failure when launching a vehicle. In this case, Mercedes-Benz listened to its customers and, for the 2012 launch of the Mercedes-Benz W176 A , released an AMG Line package. This package modifies the vehicle's appearance but leaves mechanical aspects untouched, beyond the suspension tuning. This optional package is available across the entire Mercedes-Benz model range, including the Mercedes-Benz W477 V.
This sport package can be combined with any model and engine that Mercedes-Benz currently offers on the market. Logically, fitting this package to models like the Mercedes-Benz W246 B160d with only 66 kilowatts of power goes against all the principles on which AMG was founded 50 years ago, but, once again, the market dictates.
Mercedes-AMG is born
In 2014, the Mercedes-AMG C190 GT was unveiled , and beyond its spectacular design and performance, it garnered attention for its name: It wasn't a Mercedes-Benz, but a Mercedes-AMG . This launch marked the beginning of a new era, in which, for administrative purposes, a new brand, Mercedes-AMG, was created, responsible for the development and production of the highest-performance versions of each model range.
As I mentioned earlier, market demands dictate the terms, and currently you can even find more than one AMG model within each range . For example, the new Mercedes-Benz W213 E has two Mercedes-AMG versions: the E43 with 295 kilowatts of power and the E63 with 420 or 450 kilowatts.
AMG models are supposed to be high-performance vehicles, but if we look at its predecessor, the Mercedes-Benz W212 E , we find a model like the E500, which had similar power to the current E43, but wasn't marketed as an AMG. Instead, it was a genuine Mercedes-Benz available in Elegance and Avantgarde trims. I don't know what to think; perhaps Mercedes-Benz understands the market better than I do. Now, let's enjoy our test drive of the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster , shall we?
