This is why AMG Mercedes cars are way more than just tuned Benzes
Published on Jun 28, 2025 at 2:28 AM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Jun 25, 2025 at 1:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
AMG is a very special acronym in the world of Mercedes.
The three letters represent the pinnacle of Mercedes performance.
AMG produces the most powerful, aggressive and extreme Mercedes cars.
And yet AMG Mercedes represents much more than just tuned cars.
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AMG turns up the heat for Mercedes
If you’re a fan of cars, then you will know that most marques have different levels of cars.
Manufacturers will often produce standard versions of production cars, and they will turn to special, in-house divisions to turn things up a notch.
For example, BMW has its legendary, in-house ‘M’ division, and Audi has its ‘RS’ line to beef up its representation in the car world.
And Mercedes comes to the party with three very famous letters – AMG.
In case you’ve ever wondered, the tuning giants have a fascinating history.
AMG was founded in 1967 as a racing engine manufacturer.
It was founded by two former Mercedes-Benz engineers near Stuttgart, Germany.
Over the next three decades, AMG would become renowned for its tuning work on Mercedes vehicles.
It would take standard Mercedes cars and make them faster and much more powerful.
The letters A and M stand for Aufrecht and Melcher, the two founders of the firm.
Meanwhile, the G stands for Grossaspach, the German town where Aufrecht was born.
1999 would see AMG brought in fully as the official, in-house performance division of Mercedes.
On New Year’s Day 1999, DaimlerChrysler AG (the official name from 1998 to 2007), made a big announcement.
The company bought 51 percent of AMG shares, with the company being renamed Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
The three letters represent more than you think
In previous decades, Mercedes would simply stick the AMG badge at the end of its cars.
However, the AMG moniker represents so much more than just souped-up Mercedes cars.
Today, Mercedes markets AMG cars as Mercedes-AMG, a standalone range.
They do this, much like BMW, Ford, Audi and others, in order to provide distinction to the range.
Nowadays, there are two tiers of AMG cars that you can walk into a dealership and buy.
The first tier is AMG Line, which is just an appearance package that makes a standard Mercedes look sportier.
However, it does not make any actual, material change to the performance of the car.
The second tier is that of the fully-fledged AMG cars, such as the AMG C63.
These cars get extremely powerful, hand-developed engines and powerplants.
It’s this line of cars that directly competes with BMW’s M and Audi’s RS ranges.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
