The Story of Mercedes-AMG is Rooted in Motorsport
January 31 2020,
Mercedes-AMG was born when two engineers with a passion for motorsport, Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, launched their own company after Daimler-Benz discontinued its racing development.
Born over 50 years ago, AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher, and GroBaspach. Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher developed racing engines at Daimler-Benz, more specifically the engine for the 300 SE when their department was closed. Not wanting to give up their passion, both men launched their own brand under the AMG banner. Little did they know those three letters would become synonymous with performance a half-century later across the automotive industry.
The original engine in the 300 SE built by Aufrecht and Melcher wound up winning the German Touring Car Championship 10 times with Manfred Shiek behind the wheel. This streak confirmed the engineering chops of both men and solidified their reputation for building powerful engines. The two men behind AMG decided to bring that racing performance to the road, but before that happened, they were reach another important milestone in racing.
An AMG-built Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 was crowned champion of the 24 hours of Spa in 1971 in its class and finished 2nd overall. This was notable because the 300 SEL was significantly bigger and heavier than its competition. AMG proved that luxury sedans could also be fast.
AMG continued to develop high-performance versions of Mercedes-Benz models and moved to new offices in Affalterbach. Impressive growth followed that game-changing win in 1971. The next important milestone for the company came in 1984 when Erhard Melcher developed the independent cylinder head with four valves per cylinder. The engineering breakthrough was tried on a 5.0-litre V8 installed inside an E-Class coupe which would come to be known as The Hammer. The car remains to this day the symbol of AMG and one of the most desirable performance models of all time.
Fast forward to 2005. After years of cooperation between Mercedes and AMG, DaimlerChrysler purchased 100 percent of AMG which led to the creation of Mercedes-AMG. Today, Mercedes-AMG employs 1,700 people in Affalterbach. The company has over 50 models within the Mercedes-Benz lineup as well as the flagship Mercedes-AMG GT. Characterized by its impressive power and sound, AMG is all-weather performance that you can enjoy daily.
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