The name AMG has become a synonym for a fast German rocket ship built by Mercedes for ultimate performance driving. AMG stands for “Aufrecht Melcher Großaspac.” Aufrecht and Melcher are the last names of the two founders and Großaspach is the birthplace of the Mercedes tuner.
60 years ago, AMG was founded from a passion for racing, as these two founders were heavily involved in developing the engine for the 300E in the engine development department of Mercedes. A racing car equipped with this engine took part in the German Touring car championship, winning 10 times.
AMG 1960s-1980s
After the aforementioned success Aufrecht and Melcher enjoyed in the German Touring car championship, they went on to found the “Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach engineering firm design and testing for the development of racing engines” in 1967 in a former mill near Burgstall.
Not soon after, the engines revamped by these two became incredibly popular by private racing teams. The first true milestone achieved by Aufrecht and Melcher was the 1971 “24 Hours of Spa” endurance racing competition, in which the legendary 6.8-liter AMG-powered engine in the equally legendary AMG Mercedes 300SEL won first place in its class.
The aftermath of their success was soon to follow. A large, four-door sedan finished 2nd overall in a racing competition mostly dominated by lighter race cars and earned AMG a worldwide reputation. After this, AMG became a modest company situated in Affalterbach and started working with Mercedes in the late 80s.
AMG 1980-2000s
In 1986, AMG developed a 5.0L V8 engine that was used in the E-class coupe, a legendary car nicknamed “The Hammer” which became one of the most iconic AMG cars of all time. The shining star of this period is most certainly the 190E, a car victorious in 50 German Touring car championships between the late 80s and early 90s.
In 1990, AMG vehicles were able to be maintained through the Mercedes worldwide network of dealerships and service stations, all of which resulted in AMG gaining a significant boost in business. The first jointly developed product between Mercedes and AMG was the 1993 C36 AMG. All of this culminated in 2005, when Mercedes took over 100% share ownership of AMG.
Modern-day Mercedes AMG
These days, AMG is situated in Affalterbach and employs more than 1700 employees. AMG is focused on making the best performance sedans, SUVs, hatchbacks and estates, and occasional super sports and even hypercars.
Mercedes AMG is slowly moving away from the types of engines that earned AMG its superior reputation, due to ever stricter emission regulations. Despite this, Mercedes stills manages to offer exceptional performance vehicles from downsized and forced induction engines.
The modern era of AMG is also the golden age of AMG vehicles. Cars such as the Black Series badged C63, SLS, SL65 and the newly released AMG GT Black Series are becoming somewhat of a car collector’s dream.
Mercedes AMG has also started working together with Pagani, a multi-million-dollar exotic hand-made car company from Modena offering striking hypercars with an authentic Mercedes V12 engines that produce upwards of 800 horsepower.
In addition to this, Mercedes AMG still manages to grow in a striking manner as they also provide engines and many different car components to Aston Martin, a British luxury and sports car legend. As far as Motorsport divisions are concerned, Mercedes is dominating in F1, and in 2018, Mercedes left the German Touring car championship.
Common questions about luxury performance cars
What is the most powerful road-going series-production Mercedes AMG of all time?
The list of powerful Mercedes AMG cars is rather endless, but even in such a high horsepower legacy, some models do stand out. The SLS AMG Black Series was released in 2013 and offered a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 making around 631 horsepower, which earned it the title for the most powerful naturally aspirated engine at the time.
Mercedes released the AMG GT Black Series not too long ago, a car following the same ethos as the SLS AMG, a track-focused version of a more “tamed” AMG GT. The AMG GT BS offers an incredible 720 horsepower, making it the most powerful modern-day Mercedes AMG.
Mercedes AMG is also soon to release the AMG Project 1, a hypercar powered by F1 technology expected to have north of 1000 horsepower at a multi-million-dollar price tag. The Project 1 might just be the greatest AMG creation of all time and is eagerly awaited by many enthusiasts.
What does M mean on BMW or RS on Audi?
BMW M stands for BMW Motorsports, and it’s basically the same thing AMG is for Mercedes. Audi RS stands for RennSport, or racing sport as a literal translation.
BMW M was founded in 1972 and is responsible for many great performance road cars, including some of the best ones ever produced. In 1986, BMW released the E30 M3 which started the legacy of the best performance sedan of all time.
Audi’s RS division was founded in 1994, after the success of the legendary Audi RS2, and nowadays Audi’s RS division enjoys the same level of appreciation as M or AMG. Audi’s RS division is also responsible for many great cars since its inception, the highlights being the aforementioned RS2 or the large best performance estate of all time, the RS6.
What’s the future like for AMG, BMW M, and Audi RS divisions?
As car emission restrictions are becoming more and more strict, many performance car brands are faced with tough decisions. Either they try to make adequate performance cars with smaller engines that could rarely match the appeal of older large engine powered cars, or they try a different route.
As the future of the internal combustion engine is uncertain, the same thing goes for these divisions. Only time will tell how these manufacturers are going to adapt to more and more unfavorable restrictions and if they actually manage to survive and remain enthusiasts’ cars of choice for the future to come.
