Exploring Mercedes-Benz AMG's Racing Heritage

Last updated 10 months ago

Nothing compares to the exclusivity of owning a Mercedes with an AMG badge. No other brand of car has such a high level of power, fit and finish, attention to detail, and style. To find out how Mercedes AMG began and where it is today, read this article.

Beginnings

Founded by former Mercedes engineers, AMG began in 1967 as a producer of high-quality performance engines. The AMG Company would make engines, drop them inside Mercedes vehicles, and then race these high-performance automobiles at major races around the world. A few years after AMG was founded, the company celebrated a victory at the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, made possible by an AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8.

Victories in the ‘80s

With an AMG-tuned Mercedes 450 SLC, AMG put another victory on its record at the 1980 Touring Car Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Five years later, AMG netted another victory, this time with a 190E at the German Touring Car Championship. By 1987, Mercedes AMG was branching out of racing in order to make production car history: the new Mercedes-Benz 300E 5.6 AMG was the first four-door sedan to exceed 186 miles per hour. Before the end of the decade, AMG was declared the most successful team in the German Touring Car Championship with seven wins in 1989.

Expansion

By 1990, AMG was expanding rapidly. The company partnered with Mercedes officially and was responsible for a staff of 400 employees. Throughout the 1990s, AMG continued to claim victories in the German Touring Car Championship, the International Touring Car Championship, and the FIA GT Championship. Sales of production vehicles were way up, especially of the C36 AMG and E50 AMG. By 2000, vehicle sales had reached a record 11,500 vehicles, with the ML55 SUV being the most popular car to bear the exclusive AMG badge.

Modern AMG

Throughout the 2000s, AMG continued to win at major races and increase the production lineup of AMG-customized Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Today, no other name can promise the high level of performance that AMG has to offer. AMG now makes a wide range of sedans, coupes, roadsters, and SUVs that provide you with incredible performance potential.

Take a test drive in an AMG-customized Mercedes-Benz today at Mercedes-Benz of Encino, in the Los Angeles area. Visit our website to view our inventory of Mercedes AMG models, and call us at (888) 851-6170 for more information.