Mercedes-AMG: Race-Bred Performance

Take a lap through the complete illustrated history of the powerful Mercedes-AMG, from the Red Pig racer to today’s 1063-plus horsepower Mercedes-AMG ONE.

For decades Mercedes-Benz was known primarily as a builder of luxury sedans, grand touring coupes, and handsome roadsters. But racers like its 1950s Silver Arrows and the stunning 300SL were reminders that performance lurked in its DNA, never far below the surface. Wanting to set that performance free, two former Mercedes-Benz engineers, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, teamed up in 1967 to focus on building M-B-based racing machines. Mercedes-AMG recounts the unlikely, amazing story of how they remade a stodgy Benz sedan into the all-conquering Red Pig racer and thus launched one of Germany’s greatest high-performance car companies: AMG.

Considerable success in endurance and touring-class competition led AMG to a second business modifying production Mercedes-Benzes for enthusiast customers. By the 1980s, AMG was designing and building high-performance engine assemblies allowing them to modify M-B engines to previously unknown levels of performance. Thus were born legendary cars like the AMG Hammer.

Mercedes was well aware of AMG’s success, and in 1990 a formal arrangement was made between the two companies leading to jointly developed performance cars sold and serviced through M-B dealerships. In 2005, M-B purchased AMG outright, leading to the creation of Mercedes-AMG, the high-performance arm of the company.

Mercedes-AMG covers the full history of these German powerhouse cars, including:

• Early racing exploits in the 1960s
• The iconic Hammer and Black Series cars
• Today’s exclusive, high-performance Mercedes-AMG models ranging from the 420hp A45 hatchback to the 680hp C63 station wagon to the outrageous 1063hp Mercedes-AMG ONE
• Prototypes, racing, and special models

Matt DeLorenzo is a longtime automotive writer. He has been editor of Autoweek, a staffer at Automotive News, and both Detroit editor and editor-in-chief at Road & Track magazine. Matt is an original member of the organizing committee for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. In addition to his extensive magazine writing, he has published a number of books, including Legendary American Cars, Modern Chrysler Concept Cars (winner of the 2000 Best of Books Award from the International Automotive Media Association), and Mustang 2005. Matt resides in Lake Forest, California.

Sam Posey’s racing endeavors spanned seventeen seasons, 1965-81, and included a famous victory in 1975 with BMW in the 12 Hours of Sebring. His second career as a TV commentator began at the 1974 Indy 500 and lasted for over 40 years, embracing spells with both ABC and NBC. He has written three books: Where the Writer Meets the Road (2015), Playing with Trains (2004) and the autobiographical The Mudge Pond Express (1976). He also coauthored Sam’s Scrapbook (2021) with his son John. The front straight at Lime Rock Park--his local race circuit in Connecticut--is named after him, and in 2016 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He resides in Connecticut.