- High-performance vehicles from AMG from the early days to 2022
- Free of charge and on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum until the end of February 2023
- Thursday evening, 14 July 2022: “Classics & Coffee” under the theme “55 Years AMG”
Mercedes-AMG is celebrating its birthday: in its 55-year history, the company has repeatedly set standards in the performance and sports car market and thus written an impressive success story. The future of AMG will now be electric, combining high efficiency with added performance and passion. Having a decisive influence on events are both a will and aspiration that run through the history of the brand.
The new special exhibition “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME” at the Mercedes-Benz Museum picks up on this momentum with a special concept: eight of the twelve vehicles on display have the legendary AMG 5.5-litre V8 engine under the bonnet – providing the appropriate setting for this birthday with this power unit and its displacement abbreviation “55” in the model designation. This engine used from 1997 onwards is considered a milestone in AMG history – a real game changer. As was the AMG 300 SEL 6.8 racing touring car, with which the then still young brand achieved an impressive class victory and second place overall at the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps in 1971, a feat that still impresses today.
Three further vehicle exhibits illustrate the future of Mercedes-AMG: the 2017 show car for the Mercedes-AMG ONE (combined weighted fuel consumption: 8.7 l/100 km; combined weighted CO₂ emissions: 198 g/km; combined weighted power consumption: 32 kWh/100 km)[1], the current Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE (combined weighted fuel consumption according to WLTP: 7.9 l/100 km; weighted combined CO₂ emissions according to WLTP: 180 g/km; combined weighted power consumption according to WLTP: 12 kWh/100 km[2]) and the Vision AMG study – a four-door coupé that offers a fascinating view into the all-electric future of Mercedes-AMG. The latter two can however only be displayed temporarily. Numerous other exhibits round off the special exhibition, including the M 113 K 5.5-litre V8 engine on its own pedestal, plaques signed by AMG engine technicians as Mercedes-AMG’s “One Man – One Engine” seal of quality, the trophy from the 1971 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps and the vehicle log book issued for the AMG 300 SEL 6.8 racing touring car.
Accessible free of charge in the public area of the Museum
The special exhibition “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME” is open to the public free of charge until the end of February 2023. It will be held in the public areas in the foyer and on Level 0 of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Five original Formula One Safety Cars are also on display in the Museum car park: legendary AMG models are also the basis for the silver high-performance cars bearing the Mercedes star that ensure safety on international race tracks.
The “55 YEARS AMG” theme is also being adopted by “Classics & Coffee”: on Thursday, 14 July 2022, an “AFTERWORK” edition of the popular classic car get-together will be held under this theme from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Museum’s outdoor area. Pre-booking is not necessary, and food and drinks will be provided by Bertha’s Restaurant from a food truck.
Until 9 October 2022, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is holding the special exhibition “Fascination SL – A dream car for 70 years” in Collections Room 5. Admission is included in the Museum ticket. Ten SL sports cars on a serpentine loop, from the oldest SL in existence to the latest SL designed by Mercedes-AMG, as well as numerous other exhibits and elements, are on display to welcome visitors.
The vehicles in the special exhibition “55 YEARS AMG – CHANGING THE GAME”
The AMG 5.5-litre V8 engine made its debut in 1997 and unleashed its fulminating performance in several vehicles over various evolutionary stages. Production ended in 2012. This eight-cylinder engine, known internally as the M 113, was the first AMG unit to be assembled on a production line.
AMG 300 SEL 6.8 racing touring car (W 109), 1969
The AMG legend: AMG developed this racing sports car on the basis of the high-performance Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (W 109) luxury saloon. With an optimised engine and suspension, and a kerb weight of 1,635 kilograms, it catapulted AMG into the motor racing limelight with an outstanding performance in the 1971 Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race. The impressive key data: acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, and a top speed of over 265 km/h.
Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG “F1 Limited Edition” (C 215), 2000
Racing car technology for public roads: this is what the CL 55 AMG “F1 Limited Edition” offered in the year 2000. The technology and design were closely based on the Formula One Safety Car of the time. Powertrain, suspension, braking system, exterior and interior – put together to perfection by AMG. The CL 55 AMG “F1 Limited Edition” was the world’s first road-legal automobile with ceramic brakes and a maximum braking power of 1,471 kW (2,000 hp).
Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG (W 203), 2004
The C 55 AMG with the 5.5-litre eight-cylinder engine appeared in 2004 as a Saloon and Estate. Visually, the new performance model was more clearly distinguishable from the other C-Class variants than before – these design highlights have been an AMG trademark ever since.
Mercedes-Benz CLK AMG DTM (C 209), 2004
The 2003 season of the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) was extremely successful for Mercedes-Benz – Bernd Schneider won the title for the fourth time. The brand celebrated this success by designing the CLK AMG DTM, which it presented in the spring of 2004. It offered high-tech features from motorsport, a look similar to racing touring cars – and outstanding driving performance: 3.9 seconds from zero to 100 km/h, a top speed of 320 km/h (electronically limited). Only 100 units were produced.
Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG (C 219), 2005
It was a unique creation: in 2005, AMG combined the four-door CLS Coupé with the legendary 5.5-litre supercharged engine. The result was a vehicle in a class of its own: the CLS 55 AMG developed 350 kW (476 hp) and accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. In the interior, the standard equipment included generous use of the finest nappa leather as well as the AMG instrument cluster with a 320 km/h speedometer scale.
Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (R 230), 2005
Sophisticated top-of-the-range performance: the SL 55 AMG combined ultimate power delivery from the turbocharged V8 engine with the ACTIVE BODY CONTROL active suspension control. It accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. The top speed could be increased to 300 km/h ex works on request. High-quality AMG trim, sports seats and special cockpit instruments helped to sharpen the character of the high-end sports car.
Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG “Black Series” (R 171), 2006
A compact roadster with an eight-cylinder high-performance engine: from 2004, it was only available from AMG – the SLK 55 AMG. Two years later, it was launched as the first “Black Series” model: even more powerful and even more sporty. Special visible features included the permanently mounted carbon-fibre hardtop, carbon-fibre air vents on the sides, 19-inch forged wheels and a modified front apron without fog lights. The front wings were also made of carbon fibre.
Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car, 2017
This is a milestone: in June 2022, and therefore right on time for the 55th anniversary, Mercedes-AMG is presenting the production version of the Mercedes-AMG ONE. The two-seater super sports car brings the world’s most modern and efficient Formula One hybrid drive technology from the race track to the road for the first time. In 2017, the “Mercedes-AMG Project ONE” show car celebrated its debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main and is now one of the highlights of the special exhibition.
Mercedes-AMG Vision AMG, 2022, temporary exhibit
The Vision AMG presented in May 2022 is a spectacular demonstration of what the all-electric future of Mercedes-AMG could look like. And it remains consistently true to the brand aesthetic: with extreme proportions, the one-off vehicle clearly arouses fascination and passion for performance. “It is an electric supercar, a styling icon that arouses desire – and that is exactly what makes a luxury sports car,” says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE, 2022, temporary exhibit
AMG Driving Performance on the next level: the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE is at the forefront of the next generation of ultimate high-performance four-door cars. Performance-orientated and highly efficient AMG hybrid technology meets proven AMG technology in its most up-to-date configuration. This takes “Performance Luxury” to the next level – with a system output of 620 kW, maximum torque of 1,470 Nm and acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds.
[1] The figures for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are provisional and were determined internally in accordance with the “WLTP test procedure” certification method. Confirmed values from the technical service or an EC type approval or certificate of conformity with official values are not yet available. Differences between the stated figures and the official figures are possible.
[2] The stated figures are the CO2 values measured according to WLTP in accordance with Article 2 No. 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1153. The fuel consumption values were calculated on the basis of these figures. The power consumption was determined on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2017/1151.
