Over the years, AMG has not only given us amazing race cars, but also monstrous road cars. In celebration, the Autodealer team sat down and picked six of their favourite modern AMG models.
Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé Edition 1
The exclusive designo Magno Selenite Grey colour and black wheels with yellow painted rim flanges gives the Edition 1 an unmistakeable look, a look to match the brutal 375 kW 4.0-litre biturbo V8 underneath the bonnet. With ceramic high-performance compound brakes, tweaked suspension and sharper steering, the Edition 1 definitely rates as one of AMG’s crazed masterpieces.
Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series
A follow-up to the supercharged CLK DTM, the CLK-based Black Series was also the first AMG to wear the even more hardcore Black Series moniker, and one of the last CLK models produced. Powered by a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 delivering 373kW, the Black also junked the rear seats and featured panels and seats made from carbon fibre, which helped it reach 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 300 km/h.
Mercedes-AMG SLS
Rekindling the iconic 300 SL, the AMG SLS delivered a gripping mix of styling, lightweight design and unmatchable driving dynamics. Featuring an aluminium spaceframe and those attention grabbing gullwing doors, the SLS packed the same 6.2-litre engine as the Black Series, but boosted to 420kW with the 0-100 km/h dash taking a claimed 3.8 seconds.
Despite a kerb weight of 1.6-tons, the SLS could reach a top speed of 317 km/h, with a Formula One inspired active rear spoiler deploying at 120 km/h to help provide additional downforce.
Mercedes-AMG G65
What’s a list of AMG cars without the iconic G-class, especially when it’s the AMG version? More exclusive than the already insane G63, the G65 also rates as the most powerful production off-roader ever made with its 6.0-litre biturbo V12 pumping out a staggering 450kW, and an even more mind-blowing 1000Nm of torque.
Linked to a 7G-Tronic gearbox, the G65 can still accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 230 km/h.
Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe
It doesn’t feature a massive V8 and doesn’t sound like a tropical storm, yet the C43’s 270kW 3.0-litre biturbo V6 still produces a distinctive howl at full chat. It looks more like a normal C-class coupe than a AMG, but still has the same charm as its siblings, and is able to make better use of its power thanks to the 4Matic all-wheel drive system.
Mercedes-AMG GT R
Endlessly tested at the Nürburgring and even named after the merciless track in the form of the special Green Hell Magno paint option, the GT R rates as the fastest, most powerful and hardcore version of the successor to the AMG SLS.
Derived from the AMG GT R GT3 racer and making use of lightweight materials, the AMG GT R not only gets a tweaked version of the regular AMG GT’s 4.0-litre biturbo V8, but also a three mode Dynamic Select system, revised suspension and steering, ceramic brakes, redesigned front facia with the distinctive Panamericana grille, active rear wheel steering and AMG Traction Control.
In addition to a five mode AMG Speedshift gearbox, complete with a Race mode, the 430kW/ 700Nm GT R will go from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 318 km/h.
"Happy Birthday AMG, here's to another 50 years of engineering excellence."
