AMG: History

Mercedes-AMG, or just AMG, is a division of Mercedes-Benz. The history of AMG is that of engineers and high-performance vehicles.

Pre-Mercedes

Two engineers, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, worked at Mercedes in the 1960s building among others things race engines. Working on cars in the evening and weekends the two decided to start a business. They used the initials of their names A and M and added G for Großaspach, the town Aufrecht was born. And it was in 1967 that AMG was formed.

Initially AMG was focused on designing, tuning and modifying Mercedes engines and quickly gained a reputation for performance and engine expertise. It was in 1971 that AMG got properly noticed. They built a 6.8 litre car for the Spa 24 hour endurance with all the AMG characteristics: powerful engine, wide body, tuned handling and fast. This car gained the name Red Pig and it won its class!

By the late 1970s AMG had started producing aftermarket tuning kits and performance parts for Mercedes vehicles. In 1976, AMG moved to Affalterbach. I have been very lucky to have visited and had a tour of the site – and tasted the apples left in baskets around the buildings! You can see some pictures of my Cars main page. Apples were grown in and around Affalterbach and an apple tree is part of the town crest, and half the AMG badge.

AMG were producing high performance vehicles including the 190, which was a catalyst for the BMW M3, as you can read in my M3 story. Mercedes contracted AMG in 1988 to support their motorsport endeavours and since then AMG have been the motorsport and racing brand of Mercedes – with plenty of silver ware across all formats of racing.

Well known examples of this era has to include the AMG Hammer, a four door saloon (sedan), also available in a two door coupé, that could outperform Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s and Porsche’s of its time. And of course, being a car of the 1980’s it had the big hair and shoulder pads for cars with a wide body kit, big wheels and aero add-ons, plus an array of performance upgrades.

However, it wasn’t just Mercedes, there is a little know Mitsubishi Galant AMG – yes, really! But in 1990 the contract was converted into a full partnership with AMG becoming Mercedes’s official performance division.

Official Partnership with Mercedes.

The benefit for AMG was that Mercedes partnership allowed them to sell their cars in Mercedes dealerships. The 1990s partnership with Mercedes allowed AMG to develop high-performance versions of production models. The first AMG model developed within this partnership was the C36 AMG, based on the C-Class. In a recording Hans Werner Aufrecht commented that he had to prepare the company for great Mercedes (officially known as Daimler Chrysler at the time) involvement. The partnership must had worked well because in 1999 Daimler (Mercedes) took a majority share of AMG and Mercedes-AMG GmbH was formed.

During the 2000s, AMG expanded its line up by offering performance versions of various Mercedes models, including the E, S, and G-Class. The G-Wagon, G63, has visually hardly changed at all. At my AMG factory visit, we were told that the style and platform remain unchanged because things like side exit exhausts would not pass the regulations now – so they keep the same platform. Back on the race track, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, developed for GT racing, was also produced as a limited-production road car.

AMG started producing its own engines, known for their hand-built quality. Each engine was assembled by a single technician, known as "One Man, One Engine" and a plaque with the name of the person who built the engine is affixed proudly on top.

Some highlights of the 2000s and 2010s

2003 E55 AMG: A supercharged 5.5-liter V8 engine in a luxury saloon.
2005 Ownership: Mercedes purchased the remaining part of AMG.
2005 SLR McLaren: A joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren (Formula 1 team).
2009 SLS AMG: AMG’s first standalone model.
2013 A45 AMG: The first Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder engine!
2015 Mercedes-AMG GT: AMG's dedicated V8 sports car.
2016 C63 and A45: They built my and my sisters first AMG!

By now AMG had a reputation of monstrously angry and powerful engines wrapped up in a luxury car.

2020s and beyond.

AMG have embraced hybrid technology as they evolve and adapt to changing trends. They have announced plans for a dedicated electric platform for AMG models and the Mercedes-AMG EQ range are all-electric high-performance cars. Other hybrid engines are taking the place of the V8’s – although the next AMG GT will still have a V8 – thank you AMG!

To finish this story, I have to mentions the AMG One is a hyper-car based on the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One car. It's powered by a 1000 horsepower, 1.6 litre V6 hybrid engine, just like Formula 1 cars. It's the perfect city car!