Even for those who know little about cars, the three letters, 'AMG' has a very special meaning. Hidden in a secret workshop somewhere in Germany, AMG is Mercedes' skunkworks division, and they dare to challenge the sensible and sterile nature of the same company that makes cars for well-to-do businessmen, courtly dignitaries, and bloodthirsty dictators. Mercedes approaches the art of building cars with great care and practical problem solving, going through every inch with a fine-tooth comb.
Meanwhile, AMG's madness extends to resurrecting Frankenstein's monster like a chicken running about without its head, yelling ferociously, while simultaneously being on fire. That's why we love so much about AMG, simply because its "well, why not?" mentality to pushing a car beyond its limits its just silly fun, as it will forever and always put a grin on even the most stoic of faces. These days, as the now-monolithic organisation has toned down the lunacy just a bit, it's worth taking a stroll down memory lane to remind ourselves what AMGs are made of.
The Mad Doctor.
Credits to: RM Sotheby's - 1969 Mercedes-Benz 'Red Pig' | Where it all began...
Beyond the glass walls of their new headquarters, AMG had very humble beginnings. It was founded in 1967 by two enthusiastic, former Mercedes engineers. The name is an abbreviation of (Hans Werner) Aufrecht, (Erhard) Melcher, and Großaspach, with the latter being Mr. Aufrecht's birthplace. They started this little outfit in a garage, to help tune and create racing engines, sometimes working through the dead of night to fulfil orders.
People really loved what AMG's engines did for them, including one discerning customer who caught wind of their talents. This keen client had an unusual request; assist in preparing his Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL for racing. The Three-Pointed Star themselves couldn't help, after a self-imposed exile since the deadly accident at the 1955 Le Mans 24-hours. On that fateful year, Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed, and subsequently flew into a crowd of onlooking spectators.
It shocked the world, and likely haunted the Mercedes works team, as it was the single bloodiest incident in motorsports, even till this day. It killed 84 people including Levegh, whose body was thrown out of the car, lying dead in front of his wife, while injuring nearly 180 others. Large debris of his 300 SLR came flying onto the crowded stands like a scythe, decapitating bystanders as efficiently as a guillotine. Mercedes wouldn't re-enter motorsports until the late 1980s, and it was through tuning shops and engine builders like AMG, that it stayed in the loop.
That said, the request made to AMG's mad doctors was quite a challenge, even for their standards. Although the 300 SEL was the fastest four-door in the world at the time, it wasn't designed for racing. Being the Mercedes S-Class of its day, it was a large and luxurious saloon car more at home with ferrying around VIPs between their important meetings in splendour, not to attack an apex with supreme precision. Made of steel, leather, and wood, it weighed nearly 2-tonnes.
Credits to: Mercedes-Benz - 1968 300 6.3 SEL | Peak luxury of the 1970s.
Nonetheless, its crown jewel wasn't its rock solid, tank-like build quality, or the plush opulence. The SEL might look like a refined gentleman from the outside, but it was powered by a brutish, seemingly muscle-car engine. It had a massive 6.3-litre V8 under the bonnet, and although it created only a paltry 247hp, it became a quintessential example of a sleeper car. It's unassuming, yet hiding its savagery of a beating heart under a finely-tailored suit. Still, that alone wouldn't be enough to make it the ideal race-car.
However, this was AMG, and the world 'impossible' didn't really exist in their vocabulary. Some of the original work was done by Mercedes themselves, particularly by one engineer, Erich Waxenberger. Much of the efforts were under hush secrecy from his bosses, and a total of just five were made, with two of them being used for testing. The start to its racing career in the late 1960s proved fruitless, but it wasn't until it was sent over to AMG, that finally, in the 1971 Spa-Francorchamps 24-hours endurance race, that it finally achieved glory.
The Mother Of All Pigs.
Credits to: Motor1 - 1971 Spa-Francorchamps 24-Hours Endurance | Going back in time.
If you thought the name, Red Pig, sounded more like a jeer, then you'd be right. When it first drove into the pit-lanes to be prepped for the gruelling hours ahead, everything who laid eyes on it laughed their hearts out, and thought it was all a joke. I mean, how couldn't you? By today's standards, it might seem decent, but back then, it was absolutely porky (pun intended), especially compared to the more svelte and athletic cars from BMW, Alfa Romeo, and Ford that the they had to contend with.
The Pig had widely flared fenders, thick tyres, vibrant firetruck-red paintwork, and a Christmas tree's worth of ornamental lights. In summary, it was comical in appearance. Just imagine parking a Rolls Royce on the Formula 1 starting grid, with a bottle of champagne in hand, and gold chains hanging off your neck. Plus, compared to the more seasoned and battle-tested machines from its competitors, "Die Rote Sau" theoretically had no chance of winning.
Credits to: RM Sotheby's - 1969 Mercedes-Benz 'Red Pig' | It looks just as silly, as it is fun!
But once it got going, the crowd's laughter turned into deafening awe, as the Red Pig passed car after car. A lot of work was put in to make sure this happened, and the transformation was very peculiar, to say the least. The lardy weight had to be trimmed, and in some places, great care and thought was put into it. The heavy Krupp-steel hull were replaced with lighter aluminium, most prominently the doors. Some of the exterior trim were removed, such as the front and rear bumpers, which added to the cartoonishly villainous look.
Yet, much of the comfy interior was kept the same. They didn't even remove the rear-seats, which would now be completely useless given that there's a huge roll-cage in the way of where your head and legs would go to. There were acres of soft lambswool carpeting, and thick German leather padding everywhere you touch. The dashboard still had a large analogue clock, which now that I think of it, could be useful in a 24-hour race, alongside heavy wood panels. Not wood laminate, mind you, but beautifully veneered wood like a grand piano.
Credits to: RM Sotheby's - 1969 Mercedes-Benz 'Red Pig' | Weirdly comfy for a race-car.
Metaphorically, it's like going out for a marathon in a Tweed suit. This seemingly half-hearted attempt, intentional or not, predictably didn't save much weight at all, with the Red Pig still sitting at an overweight 1.5-tonnes. Beside its rivals, it weighed three-quarters-of-a-tonne heavier than the lightest cars on the grid. Yet, even having to carry an entire modern F1 car's worth of weight didn't slow it down, all because of the tuning that Mercedes and AMG made under the flesh.
The lazy 4-speed automatic was replaced with a ZF 5-speed manual, and what it was connected to was certainly its ace in the hole. The already gargantuan V8 was bored out, and its displacement was enlarged to 6.8-litres. This helped to increase power output to a whopping 420hp; more than double most of its competitors. The engine's 480lb-ft (650Nm) of torque is enough to move heaven and earth out of the way, and then there's the way it sounds. The Red Pig screamed and thundered like a volcanic eruption, echoing across Spa.
A Bloodline Begins.
Credits to: Mercedes-Benz - AMG GT3, and Red Pig | Hans, and Kenneth Heyer... Like father, like son.
Once the chequered flag waved for the last time, the Red Pig handily won its class, and was only second overall. This was quite the achievement when you consider the pedigree, and the immense challenge it had lying ahead. This was no doubt helped by the single-minded and undeterred focus of its two pilots, Clemens Schickentanz and Hans Heyer (pictured above with his son), as they stormed across night and day. The Pig could've possibly won first overall, if it hadn't needed to stop by and pit so often.
Its monstrous engine had quite a thirst for petrol, and the otherworldly power it created was more than enough to shred its rear tyres. From zero to hero, Die Rote Sau went from a literal laughing stock, to a heroic icon that remains widely loved today. However, the end of this story isn't as legendary. One car became the sole known survivor in a museum, while others were sold to French aerospace company, Matra. There, its speed and heft made it the perfect dummy to test fighter-jet landing gear.
All its victories, accomplishments, and hard work likely disappeared behind a cloud of dust; ruined, wrecked, and mangled beyond recognition. While the body might not have lived to see the light of day, its spirits have survived. Since then, its DNA have underpinned 50 years of crafting some of the world's maddest, most insane automobiles. Now, anytime an AMG cruises by, you know where it all came from; this big, heavy, but stunningly powerful firetruck that shook the world of racing half-a-century ago.
Credits to: Mercedes-Benz - S63 AMG, and Red Pig | They never change, do they?
I'm a huge fan of classic Mercedes...Not so much the new ones.
Same here, mate. The newer ones are no doubt better in many ways, but there's just a sense of understated elegance in these old Mercs, compared to the bling and flash of the newer ones. Times change, I guess. Plus, these older Mercs are built like tanks, and are ridiculously reliable. No wonder so many people in Africa use these.
Here's my favourite of the old Mercedes, the 600 Grosser. Quite a big limo, and more popularly used by evil dictators, than normal people. Still, it's quite a classy car, and I'd so love to drive, and/or be chauffeured in one...
If only they transmorphorised a car with the old look but added in the new tech. That would be a transmorphorised vehicle I'd like to own.
I think it wouldn't be too hard to transmorphorise these old cars to be more modern, and I'd reckon someone's already done that! It's called restomodding, or what we can call now, transmorphorising and old car with new bits. Here's one that I found after someone with deep enough pockets having commissioned Mercedes' Classics division of transmorphorising their car...
https://www.autoblog.com/2020/04/08/mercedes-benz-600-limo-3-million-dollar-restoration/#slide-2222905
Yeah, I like me a good restomod...Just can't afford one.
Aye, they're pretty expensive. Classic cars are already pretty costly, let alone the bespoke parts and items to complete your restomod, plus personalised details, and all that craftsmanship is going to drain your bank account in a hurry 🤑
More money than I have to spend on a car I wouldn't drive daily.
Mercedes is a very stylish brand, specially on the inside! And they used to last a long time. I don't know how they're doing nowadays, though...
Mercedes is still very much at the top of their game these days, as they were then. Still very elegantly stylish, awesomely powerful, although perhaps not as bulletproof in terms of build quality and reliability. These old Mercs really do last ages, and I see some of them still running well today, after all these decades later!
I just love the old stule mercs and BMW's for that matter. Somehow the new look vehicles just seem to all blend into one. Nothing stands out anymore. Great post. voted and reblogged ;)
Same here! I really adore those old Mercs and Beemers, not just for their tank-like build quality and general robustness, but also their industrious and no-nonsense aesthetic. The design language has transpired more into luxury nowadays, and although they're distinct, it can't compete against the good old days, to my eyes anyway.
Thanks for the support, and kind words :-D
Awesome article. How's the lockdown going?
Cheers for the kind words, mate! I really enjoyed writing that one, and I'm certainly keen to explore more weird and iconic cars like that throughout history. Lockdown's been pretty okay-ish, though generally unchanged from what came before that. It's the new normal that we have to get used to, I guess. I hope you're doing well, and most importantly, stay safe :-D
i appreciate that you care about how well i am. i created a music video about our challenging times and i'm curious to know what you think about it.
The only way for humankind to prosper, is if we care for one another. It might be hard sometimes, and I can't see or feel how you're doing, but I hope my simple wish and greetings will at least help put a smile on your face. The video looks pretty good, so keep at it! 💪
You're right: caring is a good component for a better world. i'm glad you like the music video.
Thanks for the encouragement! It's good to see there are people who appreciate the fight for justice.
Tbh i'm not too well. i lost my job and i decided to use this happening to work for overcoming our challenge. i don't know how wise was that decision: in the last months i had the same expenses and no income, because this activity didn't produce me money. The reason i'm alive is borrowed money.
i took that decision because i care about people, i said:
i also allowed myself to see beyond money. i said:
People can't share what they don't have. People who are not conscious of our reality can't share it. Only people who are conscious of our reality can share it, so i feel responsible to share the knowledge i have.
That's pretty great to hear, mate. Money isn't everything, but I do hope things will get better for you. Take care :-D
So i guess you think it's good to prevent a zero freedom world. In this case:
How can we prevent a zero freedom world?
What do you think?
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Grazie mille for the support! :-D
AMG are just in a class of there own so masculine looking yet like a beautiful red lady with style , character and great body lines love the way the red pig has been modified real class.
I really love these older AMGs, because they're just so silly and insane in every way possible! The newer ones are great too, but I feel like Mercedes have refined the madness out of them to make AMG more sensible, science-y, and better in how they perform statistically. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the AMG DNA remains as strong as ever :-D
You are right with many car manufactures now they are taking that masculine mean mad look out of them big back the old school the muscle cars...lol 😅
Car design has gotten more streamlined since the age of crash safety regulations, and whatnot. It's no longer like the good old days when you can have low front noses, sharp fines, and huge spoilers everywhere. That's how automotive design is nowadays, but it's still good to see carmakers doing their best 😄
This is all true technology needs to move ahead but i do miss some of those masculine shapes and some manufacturers are still maintaining some pretty good characteristics 🤭
True. One could argue that a lot of cars these days look alike, and its harder to see those standing out from the crowd. But design is nevertheless a crucial pillar to any good automobile, and I'm interested to see the effects of electrification on how a car looks. Without needing a big engine, and having batteries lying low on the ground, it could free up a lot more blank canvas for designers to work with! 😄
Yep i am finding it hard to distinguish models and manufactures of all these high end cars lately but they do all look cool the electric cars are certainly advancing in big ways we will have them flying soon like in that cartoon show the Jetsons 😅 😅
Enjoyed the article thanks 👍
Thanks so much for the support, and the kind words! I had a blast writing this, and just flipping through the pages of history. I really should get back to writing more on these old cars :-D
I’m always a sucker for these old race car pics, awesome post man!
Cheers, and thanks for the kind words! I too, really very much love these old race cars. They're so much more raw, untamed, and simplistic than newer racers these days. Just seeing this big old Merc storming across a race-track is just so much fun :-D
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