Evolution Of Mercedes-Benz AMG (1971-2019)

AMG’s first creation, the 300SEL, won its class at the Spa 24 Hours endurance race in 1971

AMG produced special versions of the 300SEL to compete in motor racing events. The 300SEL AMG racer had 428bhp available from its 6.8-litre engine

The so-called “Red Pig” was thirsty, requiring frequent refuelling stops during races

In 1986, ‘The Hammer’ managed 186mph, hitting 60mph in 5.0 seconds – it was based on the W124 E-class

AMG’s 500SEC of 1984 used four-valve cylinder heads, long before pure Mercedes-Benz models

This 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth arrived in 1984. The 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth could reach 60mph in 8.0 seconds.

The 190E 3.2 AMG was the first model made by AMG to be sold through Mercedes-Benz dealerships.

The SL60 AMG was built between 1995 and 1998.

The two-door E36 AMG coupé sat alongside the more popular E36 saloon and the rare E36 Cabriolet. The E36 AMG coupe could reach 62mph in 7.2 seconds

The SL73 AMG was powered by a 7.3-litre V12 engine

AMG released its own tuned version of the flagship Mercedes C-class in 1997, dubbed the C43 AMG

The rare SL70 AMG came with a 7.0-litre V12 engine

The SL73 AMG roadster is very rare, with only 85 models ever built, and it was sold by AMG in 1995

The E50 AMG was only available in Europe during the 1997 model year

The E55 AMG was a game-changing super-saloon, and still offers good used value

The C43 AMG could reach 62mph in 5.7 seconds

The S55 AMG came with a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 engine

Only 26 units of the CLK GTR were ever built by AMG

The SLK55 AMG Black Edition had 400bhp on tap from its 5.4-litre V8 engine

The CLK DTM AMG can reach 200mph, and comes in both coupé and cabriolet forms

The SL65 AMG comes with a 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine

The C63 Black Series is brutally quick, and yet displays fine balance

The G63 AMG 6×6 is built to order from £380,000

The McLaren-Mercedes SLR supercar used an AMG-sourced V8 engine

The SLS – and this E-cell version of the gullwing car – became AMG’s first car developed in-house

The SLS AMG has participated in GT3 race events since 2011

The AMG GT would replace the SLS as AMG’s second completely ground-up model, and would go on to spawn multiple variants

Mild hybrid power would be introduced with the E53 and CLS 53, which used six rather than eight-cylinders

The AMG GT Four Door Coupé might have shared its name with the two-door GT, but it has little in common with it in terms of platform

AMG 35 variants of the A-Class hatchback and saloon, and CLA and CLA Shooting Brake would democratise AMG like never before.

The second-generation A45 was AMG unleashed in the modern age, extracting an incredible amount of power from a turbo four-pot

800bhp-plus GT 73 will use plug-in power alongside a conventional V8

The future for AMG is almost certainly hybrid power, with the AMG One hypercar arriving as a true flagship within the next year