It was September 9th, 2014. The bright yellow Mercedes-AMG GT was just seeing the light of day in Affalterbach, taken to the stage by one of the world’s best racers, the Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg. It was only the second AMG thoroughbred car that came into the word, following the exhilarating SLS AMG. That very day, Mercedesblog.com came online with the live presentation and first-ever review of the fireball.
From that moment on, we have been together day in and day out, bringing you the latest cars, the iconic automobiles and those that are not even on the market yet. The most shocking accidents and the most beautiful photo sessions, all found room right here.
The 2014-launched Mercedes-AMG GT surely is one of the coolest cars ever bearing the AMG badge. But how about the others? So here we go down the memory lane, to find the Mercedes automobiles that took our breath away in the past 50 years. Put your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen! You’re surely going to need all the restraint systems you can get during this ride, jam-packed with horsepower!
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Some may say the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is one of the most beautiful cars ever built. We wouldn’t dare contradict them. Both the steel and aluminium-made Sport Leicht (Sport Light) 2-door roadster and coupe were race car for the street.
The Belle of the Ball was first presented at the 1954 New York Auto Show. The automobile with doors that swung open straight into the sky was the first production fuel-injection vehicle and the fastest production car its time: the 300 SL hit 260 km/h.
The original coupe washed out rather quickly. It was only available from March 1955 to 1957, while the roadster stayed on the market from 1957 to 1963. A limited time interval that makes the car hold on to its exclusivity.
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR
Now that was a race car for the road. Insane to the bones, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR came onto the streets as a debt. Even though the FIA GT1 class was cancelled for 1999, Mercedes was obliged to eventually deliver the required 25 street-legal cars according to the rules of the competition. Actually, 26 such vehicles were built by AMG, between the winter of 1998 and the summer of 1999, from which 20 units were coupes and 6 of them were roadsters.
The monstrous 6.9-liter V12 engine delivered 612 HP and 775 Nm to claim a top speed of 344 km/h and a run from a standstill to 100 km/h in only 3.4 seconds.
At that time, the CLK GTR was the most expensive production car ever built, at a price of 1,547,620 USD.
Mercedes SLR McLaren
It looked like a dream car and it ran like a race car. But what was called “The Silver Arrow of Tomorrow” failed to magnetize as others did. It came into the world as a 2005 model year, with Mercedes planning to sell 3,500 of them. Eventually, only 2,300 units were built.
Powered by a 5.5-liter V8, the SLR stays one of the most powerful series-production road going sports cars ever made. It hits the 100 km/h (62 mph) speed in just 3.8 seconds and it needs a bit over 10 seconds to reach 200 km/h.
The two-seater boasts a top speed of 334km/h (207 mph). Its 5-speed automatic transmission was especially upgraded for very high torque and designed to offer the driver the option to select between various shifting characteristics via the Speedshift system.
Mercedes SLS AMG
It has been more than a decade since AMG stopped the production of the Mercedes SLS AMG. Yet the daredevil is still the sweetheart of celebrities and tuning companies worldwide. When it first came into the world, in 2009, at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it was presented as the purebred successor of the 300 SL Gullwing. It was the first ever vehicle entirely built in Affalterbach, with a racing DNA in its veins.
The M159 6.2-liter V8 natural aspirated engine sheltered by the elongated beautifully sculpted hood churned out 571 HP and 650 Nm of torque. The Black Series variant came with 631 HP. That was enough to cause insomnia to the hypercars of its time.
Mercedes-AMG GT S
And then it was the Meredes-AMG GT. The sunshine GT set wheels on the stage of Afflaterbach on September 9th, 2014, opening a new era of the Mercedes sports cars. A star was born. A star with a graceful, yet muscular silhouette, stealing the spotlight from its rivals.
Fitted with the brand-new 4.0-liter V8 biturbo, the GT was the second car fully conceived by AMG, but second to none in personality. 3.9 seconds to run the 0 to 100 km/h distance for the S variant and 4.1 for the standard. If there is anything standard about this car at all…
Mercedes-AMG GT R
After the yellow engined sunshine, the green beast followed, driven through the jungle by the 3-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and brought onto the racetrack with all the noise and extravagance only a GT R is capable of. “It looks and it drives like hell”, said the AMG chief, Tobias Moers, and he was right to the very last word.
The pure-bred sports car Mercedes-AMG GT R, with racing DNA, marks a milestone in driving performance, as it is nothing less than the street-legal version of its racing sibling, the GT3.
The GT R comes with a pack of 585 HP, which makes it the most powerful street-legal car ever built in Affalterbach. The active aerodynamics and the looks of the model specifically handcrafted by racers turn it into the meanest and greenest beast that it is.
Mercedes-AMG R50
AMG seems to have one more ace up its sleeve. The Mercedes-AMG R50 is rumored to hit the road just in time for the company’s 50-year anniversary. It is set to be part of an exclusive limited edition of only 50 such vehicles, with a jaw-dropping price tag between €2 ($2.2) and €3 ($3.3) million euros.
Looking like a UFO, featuring a hybrid drive train and cable of approximately 1,300 HP, the AMG hypercar should battle the Porsche 918 Spyder, the McLaren P1, the Ferrari La Ferrari, the Bugatti Chiron, the Lamborghini Centenario and the future Aston Martin RB 001. That’s a long list, isn’t it? But the R50 seems up to it. So bring it on, AMG!
