Mercedes Secretly Modernized The Original AMG Super Sedan

Mercedes bought a controlling stake in AMG in 1999 before turning it into a wholly owned subsidiary six years later. However, the company had been around since 1967, when Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher set up shop near Stuttgart.

The two engineers, who had been working on the 300 SE’s race engine, left Mercedes to establish (deep breath): Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach Ingenieurbüro, Konstruktion und Versuch zur Entwicklung von Rennmotoren (Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach engineering firm for the design and testing of racing engines).

As with every great car story, AMG’s origins trace back to racing. Its first notable success came just four years later, when an AMG Mercedes 300 SEL 6.8 not only won its class at the 1971 Spa 24 Hours but also finished second overall. More than half a century later, the super sedan nicknamed “Red Pig” is back, albeit virtually. The former Mercedes design supremo has unearthed a secret modernized take on the V8-powered monster.

Gorden Wagener, who left the company at the end of last month after spending 29 years at Mercedes, has revealed his vision of a modern Red Pig in a series of images released on Instagram. In keeping with recent models, he couldn’t resist adding three-pointed stars to the headlights. LED rings have replaced the race car’s auxiliary lights, while the five-spoke wheels pay tribute to the original.

It’s worth noting that the actual Red Pig no longer exists. Built on a damaged W109 S-Class, the 422-horsepower race car with its massive 6.8-liter engine was later acquired by Matra, a long-defunct French industrial conglomerate, which used it to test aircraft landing gear.

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Source: Gorden Wagener / Instagram

That made sense, considering the 300 SEL was the fastest German production car at the time and one of the quickest four-door vehicles in the world. As you can imagine, the car was destroyed during its second life as a test rig for aircraft tires.

Mercedes eventually obtained the original blueprints and built a faithful replica in the mid-2000s. A couple of decades later, Gorden Wagener has revived the spirit of the Red Pig for his Iconic Design book, which also features previously unpublished images of his work.

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Motor1’s Take: Reviving the car that laid the foundation for AMG is no easy task, but Gorden Wagener dared to reinterpret such an iconic vehicle for the 21^st century. Although a production version will never exist, AMG loyalists will appreciate this “what if” exercise, imagining the Red Pig more than half a century after it made history at Spa-Francorchamps.

Wagener has undoubtedly left his mark on Mercedes design over the past two decades and has earned the right to revisit one of AMG’s earliest icons. A return to that imposing grille is on the horizon, as last year’s Vision Iconic concept previewed a new design language that pays homage to the past.