The History of AMG

Chief protagonists in the arms race for ever more powerful Mercedes-Benz models, AMG has come from humble beginnings to a position integral to Mercedes' global plans. Andy Enright reports.

I'm sitting in the pit lane at Goodwood motor racing circuit in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. I've only ever been to the fierce little circuit that ended the racing career of Sir Stirling Moss once before and that had been a slightly chastening experience. To add to the intimidation factor, I have former F1 World Champion Jody Scheckter sitting alongside me. If I get this badly wrong, it won't just be embarrassing, Waitrose will lose a key buffalo mozzarella supplier. While Scheckter chats happily about his organic farming methods, I try to remember turn in cues, apex clips and braking points. It's not really happening so I do what is probably the most natural thing, trust my talent and the ability of the car. It's kind of a 20:80 ratio.

The SLS AMG is immensely capable. It flatters my clumsy trail braking and blends seamlessly my overzealous throttle applications. A car that I'd previously thought of as something of a 'point and squirt' hot rod is anything but. It's a vehicle that was developed by AMG as a true showcase of their abilities, frustrated as they were in being sidelined during the rather unhappy Mercedes McLaren SLR collaboration.



Such is the glamour associated with AMG that it's easy to forget quite what humble beginnings the company endured. It started out in 1967 in a rather dingy mill house in Burgstall an der Murr, near Stuttgart by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, the 'A' and the 'M'. In case you're wondering, the 'G' part of the name is a bit of a red herring, Grobaspach being Aufrecht's birthplace. Aufrecht and Melcher were talented but rather underfunded engineers, specialising in tuning racing car engines. It took fully four years for their talents to be recognised on a wider scale, with an AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 taking a surprise class victory in the 24-hour race at Spa in Belgium, finishing in second place overall.



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