The Story of AMG – FEATURETTE
Two men, three letters...
50 years ago, a unique company was born out of an overwhelming passion for motorsport. A for Aufrecht, M for Melcher and G for Groรaspach - the names behind these three letters are the starting point of a rapid development from a two-man business to a global brand. The story begins in the 1960s: The two engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher worked on the 300 SE racing engine in the Daimler-Benz development department. until the company discontinued all motorsport activities.
But Aufrecht and Melcher's hearts continue to beat for racing. In Aufrecht's house, they continued to fine-tune the engine's performance in their spare time. In 1965, Manfred Schiek, a Daimler colleague, competed in the German Touring Car Championship with the 300 SE prepared by Aufrecht and Melcher - and won ten times.
Road vehicles modelled on successful racing cars
But Aufrecht's reputation was not enough: his plan was to offer road vehicles modelled on successful racing cars. The first sporting milestone was the Spa 24-hour race in 1971: Class victory and second place overall behind the Ford Capri for the AMG Mercedes 300 SEL 6.8. The "Rote Sau" weighing around 1.5 tonnes caused quite a stir more than 52 years ago. A heavy luxury saloon outdid the lighter racing car competition! With a capacity of 6.8 litres and 428 hp, the legendary racing saloon reached a speed of 265 km/h! The sensation was perfect and the name AMG went around the world. Hot Wheels released the vehicle in 1:64 scale in 2021 to mark its fiftieth anniversary.
Years of growth follow, during which AMG equips more and more Mercedes models with performance technology. At the beginning of the 1970s, a new discipline is opened up: customisation. "No go" became a foreign word for the Mercedes-AMG team and remains so to this day. The attractive business field allows AMG to grow into a medium-sized company that increasingly serves foreign customers. In 1976 Mercedes-AMG moves to Affalterbach with around a dozen employees into a purpose-built workshop with offices.
AMG, the official engine manufacturer
In 1986, AMG implanted the 5.0-litre V8 in a 300cc E-Class Coupรฉ, which achieved worldwide fame under the nickname "The Hammer" - still an archetypal symbol of the AMG legend in the USA today. Hot Wheels in turn produced the 500E from 1991 as well as the AMG E 36 Estate from 1987, the high performance version of the W124. With around 171 units, this is one of the rarest AMG vehicles. Hot Wheels fortunately produced many more!
At the end of the 1980s, AMG and Daimler-Benz came closer together - initially as official motorsport partners: the highlight of this period was the success story of the 190. The racing car used by AMG with factory support won a total of 50 DTM victories from 1988 to 1993. In addition to Hot Wheels, MiniGT has already released several models, such as the road version in matt black and in typical Mercedes silver, but also well-known DTM racing liveries.
Cooperation agreement and takeover by DaimlerChrysler
A real milestone in AMG's history is the year 1990, when the cooperation agreement with Daimler-Benz AG is concluded. AMG products could now be sold and serviced via the worldwide network of Mercedes-Benz branches and sales partners, which gave an enormous boost to demand and customer acceptance. On the basis of the cooperation agreement, the company presented the first jointly developed vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG, in 1993. In the same year, the patent office recognised AMG as a trademark due to its high degree of recognition. The C-Class has previously been picked up by Hot Wheels, but not as a road version, but as a DTM racing car from 1994. At the time, the C-Class replaced the very successful 190E EVOII and had to prove itself against the dominance from Italy. The 155 V6 ti was also picked up by Hot Wheels.
A huge model range
The Mercedes-AMG model range is now not only larger and more varied than ever before, but is also tailored to the most diverse wishes and requirements of customers. The range includes more than 50 Mercedes-AMG performance vehicles with a power spectrum ranging from 225 kW (306 hp) to 470 kW (639 hp). The selection ranges from saloons, coupรฉs and SUVs to roadsters and the Mercedes-AMG GT, the second sports car developed completely independently by Mercedes-AMG. For example, Majorette, Tomica, Siku and Hot Wheels released various colour versions of the AMG GT, including their improved GT S and GT R variants.
Only the GT R pro has not yet been available in 1:64 scale, while Siku offers the SLS AMG, AMG's first specially developed vehicle, for sale. If you wanted something even sportier, you could buy it from Tarmacworks. Among other things, they released the SLS AMG Black Series. Other honourable mentions include the 574hp CLK DTM, which was offered in honour of the 2004 DTM successes, as well as numerous C63 model variants from Tarmacworks and Hot Wheels. The legendary G-Class, the G63, was also released several times by Tarmacworks.
Performance in action: Formula 1, DTM and customer sport
Born in racing, the Mercedes-AMG performance brand has been at home on the race track for decades. From its successful involvement in the popular DTM, the two-time world championship title in FIA GT to its commitment to customer motorsport at the highest level with the SLS AMG GT3, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and, in future, the Mercedes-AMG GT4. Mercedes-AMG is and remains the most successful brand in the history of the DTM.
With the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Team and the engine manufacturer Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, the AMG brand has also been represented in Formula 1 since the 2012 season. In addition, AMG has continuously provided both the Formula 1 Safety Car and the Formula 1 Medical Car since 1996. Tarmacworks also reached into the top shelf here, releasing the extraordinary 2020 AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance alongside the 2022 W13 F1 from Spark. Lewis Hamilton thus won a Formula 1 world championship title for the last time in 2020; in total, the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team won nine in a row from 2014 to 2021.
Performance in action: Formula 1, DTM and customer sport
The wait for the production of the third independent AMG vehicle in the company's history, the AMG ONE, in 1:64 scale, primarily was as long as the original vehicle. This year it will be ready (hopefully). Limited to 999 units only, the still unknown model vehicle manufacturer TPC is to bring the most extraordinary and modern racing car with road approval onto the market. The E PERFORMANCE plug-in hybrid with 1.6-litre V6 turbo petrol engine and four electric motors for the turbocharger, crankshaft and front axles, which originate from the premier class, together provide an impressive 1,063 hp system output. The AMG ONE will undoubtedly be one of the most important vehicles in any good AMG collection!
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