Anniversaries are not only to celebrate the glorious successes and achievements of the past, but also to take a reflective look at what has gone before. So let’s go back to the big bang for AMG, which basically began with an ending and makes the fascination of this brand so wonderfully clear. It was the 1965 racing season. A new set of motorsport regulations only permitted factory teams to race cars derived from a small series of road-legal vehicles. The new certification seemed too costly to the Daimler-Benz board of directors at the time, so they decided to leave racing for the time being – except for the rally and touring car championships. Hans-Werner Aufrecht, the A in the AMG acronym that would appear later, was working on the engine test bench at the time and witnessed the end of Daimler-Benz’s racing activities with some pain. It’s also the time when he met Erhard Melcher, the M in AMG. They both turned their boundless passion for racing to developing touring cars. The Mercedes-Benz Type 300 SE built by Aufrecht and Melcher won the German Touring Car Championship no fewer than ten times – a more than impressive example of their blossoming partnership.  

Spurred on by their success, Melcher and Aufrecht continued to tinker in a garage in Großaspach after work. That birthplace of Aufrecht completed the puzzle, the G, the last of the three letters. Their engines built with direct injection were stirring up the enthusiast scene nicely with the duo making more and more of a name for themselves. In 1967, Aufrecht and Melcher rented a small workshop in Burgstall, Swabia, set up their own business and called themselves ‘Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach Ingenieurbüro, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Rennmotoren’ (engineering office, design and development of racing engines). They soon built more racing cars and the first private customer conversions of series-production models with support from Daimler.

Then, in the early 1970s, the small company suddenly sprang overnight onto the world stage: their first racing car took second place at the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, and even took the class victory. Even the 8 p.m. news on the Tagesschau, the German public TV news, reported on this racing success. The legendary bright red AMG 300 SEL 6.8 is the embodiment of the AMG ideal to this day. If the limousine was treated with derision in the beginning on the racing asphalt – from then on it was highly respected. 

After its debut on television and continuing racing successes, more and more customers worldwide were taking notice of the Swabian engine manufacturer. Enthusiasts from the USA as well as Arab and Asian countries joined AMG’s customer list. The premises were no longer suitable for this increased demand and so the decision was made to move to nearby Affalterbach. The progress of the industry took shape in the purpose-built workshop there. Instead of getting hung up on the pure principle of enhancing performance, AMG began to develop and establish the concept of individualisation, with which customer wishes of all kinds could be met. The company was setting a new, international trend with this philosophy.

Together, we are stronger – DaimlerChrysler AG also recognised this and became a partner in 1999: AMG became Mercedes-AMG GmbH. The merger also brought Mercedes-Benz closer to the elite category again. The use of Mercedes-AMG Safety Cars in Formula 1 racing impressively demonstrates how intertwined the racing DNA of AMG is: packed with pure production and road technology, the Mercedes-AMG C 63, for example, is an incredibly sprightly mover in front of the Formula 1 pack. Even the Formula 1 drivers respect that. 

In 2009, Mercedes-AMG finally presented their first independently developed road vehicle: the SLS Gullwing. Almost simultaneously, other partnerships were forming behind the scenes and focusing cooperation in the electrification area.

The perennial fascination across the globe has impressively carried the brand into the present. As was once the case with the founding fathers Aufrecht and Melcher in Großaspach, there is a real spirit of optimism in Affalterbach today. The company’s own credo Driving Performance will be carried through purely electrically in the future. The company is opening a new chapter with its entry into electromobility, while still remaining faithful to its roots. The old halls and even the former Aufrecht family home are still part of the factory premises of today’s Mercedes-AMG GmbH. The original racing link-up with Mercedes-Benz has become a bond for life and the performance brand has become a particularly vibrant part of the Mercedes-Benz brand family. The legendary history of AMG has also made it a unique brand with an aura all of its own: AMG is about performance, but also about lifestyle. The brand is popular with technology enthusiasts and individualists, but is also appreciated by a young lifestyle-oriented generation. This has led to AMG growing rapidly in recent years – thereby becoming an increasingly important part of Mercedes-Benz AG. Today, AMG seems more vibrant than ever: whether with its innovative collaborations in the field of fashion or historic projects such as the Mercedes-AMG ONE, in which a Formula 1 engine was transposed into a road vehicle for the first time. Design and brand history are just as tangible in the new Mercedes-AMG SL as in the hand-built high-performance engines – including the personal signature of the mechanics.

And perhaps this is precisely the secret to the successful alliance between Mercedes-Benz and AMG. Just as with interpersonal relationships, isn’t it mutual respect that counts the most? Or in Werner Aufrecht’s own words: “You can’t improve a Mercedes-Benz, you can only make it different.”

This is a limited-edition tribute to a unique legend: the Mercedes-AMG G 63 Edition 55. Together with the foiling, which is on the sides of the vehicle, the edition impressively carries the power from the inside to the outside. Special signets and a bold red are in the interior, while its exterior is available in a choice of Obsidian Black Metallic or Manufacture Opalite White Bright. “AMG” and “55” emblems in the interior quote the special birthday, making the model an exclusive collector’s item and a powerful statement in terms of design and performance. The typical AMG Driving Performance based on the AMG 4.0 litre V8 biturbo engine with 430 kW (585 PS) and 850 Nm maximum torque. 

An untouchable classic – yesterday, today and in the future!

A new era began with the C 63 in 2007. More than was the case with any model before, this AMG stood out from its Mercedes-Benz counterpart. The new launch of the C 63 S E PERFORMANCE in 2022 also proves that AMG makes visions of the future a reality. Just as with Formula 1 technologies, which are used in the new C 63: the combination of an electric motor positioned on the rear axle and the world’s most powerful production four-cylinder virtually eliminates the turbo lag. In this combination, the hybrid vehicle achieves an output of 500 kW (680 PS). Philipp Schiemer, chairman of the Mercedes-AMG Management Board: “Even 55 years after our foundation, we continue to show the courage and the will to implement the creative and the extraordinary at AMG. The new C 63 in particular is a true game-changer.”

Auch die Performance-Modelle der Zukunft elektrisieren.
The performance models of the future.

The all-electric luxury class from Mercedes-Benz, the EQS, has revolutionised the luxury segment and ushered in the electric age. The AMG variant is as powerful as ever: with the AMG DYNAMIC PLUS package, the race start including boost of the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ enables acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. It also has impressively fast charging times. Power can be recharged for up to 300 kilometres (WLTP) after just 19 minutes at fast charging stations with direct current. 

Mit dem Concept Car Vision AMG erklimmt Mercedes-AMG die nächste Stufe der Elektromobilität: Unter der stylishen Hülle des viertürigen Coupés steckt die ebenso außergewöhnliche wie eigenständige AMG.EA Plattform, die derzeit in Affalterbach für alle weiteren vollelektrischen Modelle entwickelt wird. Damit ist gesichert: AMG wird auch im Zeitalter der E-Mobilität Fahrzeuge mit atemberaubender Leistung, emotionalem Design und faszinierendem Fahrgefühl die Welt der Performance-Fahrzeuge prägen – und darüber hinaus.

Like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the Mercedes-AMG SL 63 was developed entirely by Mercedes-AMG. The open concept exudes that unfiltered roadster feeling with its powerful drive. A state-of-the-art chassis impressively combines sport and comfort. This is the first time that a fully-variable all-wheel drive system, the AMG Performance 4MATIC+, has been used in an SL. 

Mercedes-AMG is taking electric mobility to the next level with the Vision AMG concept car: beneath the stylish shell of the four-door coupé sits the AMG.EA platform, which is as unusual as it is unique and is currently being developed in Affalterbach for all other fully electric models. This gives assurance that AMG will continue to shape the world of performance vehicles in the age of e-mobility with breathtaking performance, emotional design and a fascinating driving experience – and more besides.