Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG Geneva 2017 Editorial Photo

Geneva, 87th Salon de l`Auto 2017 Detail of the Red Pig, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 that started it all for AMG. The legendary `pig` was developed in 1971. From the inside, one could hardly tell the difference from a normal 300SEL, the dashboard was decorated with wood paneling, there are soft carpets on the floor, and proper accommodation for passengers in the back. The only things that gave away this car`s purpose is the steel roll-over bar, bucket seats, controls for the front rally lights and the front doors made from aluminum. The front rally lights are not the only aggressive design touches to the car - lack of bumpers, wide wheel arches with even wider tires: 335/40 r15s. When AMG arrived with their 1.5 tone barge at the Belgian SPA 24 hour race to compete against a lot smaller BMW`s and Alfa Romeos, it looked as subtle as a jug of beer in a wine tasting event. But the main thing that made the 300SEL into the hero that would later be known as `die Rote Sau` was its 6.8-liter V8 developed from the original 6.3. Melcher besides providing more room for the air-fuel mixture to burn, added sharper camshafts, modified arms and pistons. That boosted the engine output from 250hp and 500Nm to a tire shredding 428hp and 620Nm. The pig had to stop at the pits for a tire change and refueling quite a bit more frequently than the competitors. Still it won in its class and second overall. All of this was enough for AMG to make big headlines in the papers.