Did you ever see a Mercedes rolling around, but it seems to be a little… off? Yeah, it looks like a Mercedes still, but there is something different, something just a bit more special about it.
Then, before you know it, it takes off with a guttural THWUMPERRRR, and it is way faster than you thought. You may also see that there are two sets of dual exhaust tips in the rear and a small badge on the backside that reads “AMG”.
What Does AMG Mean?
AMG stands for “Mercedes-Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach,” as homage and abbreviation to Hans-Werner Aufrect and Erhard Melcher, who were both from a small town in Germany called Großaspach.
And that is just the literal meaning of the word “AMG. “
BMW has its M vehicles, Chevrolet has their “SS” variants, Mazda has Mazdaspeed, and Mercedes has their Mercedes AMG performance line of vehicles.
What does this mean? The car could include a hand-built, bespoke engine, slight styling adjustments, nicer leather interior, adjusted suspension for increased speed, and usually, the government-set limiters are also changed from the original vehicle.
Which Vehicles Have AMG Versions?
There are many cars in the Mercedes line that have AMG versions, including the A, C, CL, G, GL, E, and AMG GT classes. The AMG GT is their flagship, and comes standard with 585 horsepower, and more grip than you’d know what to do with.
Even their “Baby” car, the A35 4matic, has a minimum of 305 hp! That is nearly twice the power a comparable hatchback competitor makes from the factory. (Speaking of hot hatches, we are not including high-performance “Hot hatches”.)
If you really want to roll around is a fast tank, check out the G63 AMG. A 1970s design that Mercedes commissioned for the German military, based on what was once a Unimog chassis.
This AMG has the same 585 hp motor mentioned before, but it rides higher and has portal axles for climbing rocks! (Not that any G63 owner would ever take their car off-road.)
Mercedes-Benz AMG History
It all began with Hans Werner Aufrecht, and Erhard Melcher, both hired by Daimler-Benz to build a racing engine for the Daimler-Benz 300SE in the development department of the company.
As the company ran out of money as a whole, Aufrecht and Melcher took the engine home and continued honing the engine in their home shop.
Eventually, a race car driver named Manfred Schiek raced in the German Touring Car Championship, with an engine built by Aufrecht and Melcher, and he went on to win 10 times in a row!
This right away gave Aufrecht and Melcher some credibility as engine builders. However, they didn’t end things there, and continued to build racing engines, and they were becoming increasingly popular.
In 1971, a 300SEL 6.8, with an AMG engine, won its class and placed 2nd overall in the 24 hours of Spa race.
According to the AMG publicist, that “set the world on fire”, but can you imagine a heavy luxury car crushing most of the light and fast competitors in a 24-hour race? Incredible!
The performance division continued to grow steadily and eventually moved out into its own workshop with its 12 employees.
In 1984, they developed a dream piece of kit, a fully independent cylinder head, with 4 valves per cylinder! They stuffed it into an E-class sedan, and it achieved world fame as “The Hammer”.
Then, they started on AMG’s 190, which would go on to win over 50 touring car races between 1988 and 1992. Crazy good if you ask me!
Today, AMG pumps out some of the fastest cars, which are a luxury, and you can buy from the factory that comes with a warranty. While these do have a price, there are plenty of owners who will swear they wouldn’t be seen in anything else!
What’s the Difference Between AMG and Regular Mercedes-Benz?
The difference between a “Normal” Mercedes-Benz and an AMG Mercedes is quite glaring.
AMGs will have some unique styling cues as indicators of their specialness: carbon fiber trim, ground effects, and some extra exhaust pipes out the rear. There will also be some shiny “AMG” badges on the rear, opposing the model code.
Some normal Mercedes owners will add these badges to their cars for their own up-badging purposes, but you can verify the AMG presence further with some of the aforementioned attributes, and the brake calipers (often a sporty color), and the wheels will likely be forged, at least 20 inches, and fitted to some track-ready rubber.
This is not to say that a normal Mercedes-Benz is not worth buying, as they are a very good company. Up until last year, all of their dealerships were owned by Mercedes-Benz. This ensures that you only have to go to trained Benz mechanics, and you have a much reduced chance of inconsistent work being done on your vehicle.
For example, look at a Honda dealership, and they will charge you to replace an air filter every 50,000 miles, but never do it once.
AMG is Special
From humble beginnings on a race team, to a workshop because of a lack of funding, through the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and to present day, AMG has truly shown itself to be an excellent engine builder and tuner.
Although they started as fearless tinkers like you or me, AMG is now at the point of being a household name.
AMG has the same raw tuning spirit in every ounce of their being, I just hope that one day I can take a tour of their factory. (AMG, are you listening??)