Mercedes-AMG is arguably the best performance car manufacturer right now. They have the fastest car around the Nürburgring, the best engines, and they currently rule F1. AMG Mercedes has certainly made some fantastic road cars too, and they're well known for fitting large engines into standard Mercedes cars, turning them into absolute weapons.
What are the best Mercedes-AMG cars ever, though? What are the absolute best hits from Affalterbach in Germany? Here are the ten best Mercedes-AMG cars ever.
10 Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series
At the LA Autoshow in 2012, Mercedes unveiled the SLS AMG Black Series. Inspired by the GT3 SLS racecar, it features a wider body, more power, and less torque for more control. Under the hood is an atomic bomb in the shape of the 6.2-liter M159 V8. No wimpy turbochargers here, it's all naturally aspirated. It has 622hp and 468 lb-ft of torque, which means the Black Series can hit 60 in around 3.2 seconds and a flat-out speed of almost 200 mph.
The Black Series was only offered in the coupe body style with the awesome gull-wing doors. The SLS was already a fantastic car, but the Black Series took things to a whole new level. It's 70 kg lighter than the standard SLS thanks to the increased use of carbon fiber body parts.
9 Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series
The next car with a nuclear bomb shoehorned under its hood is the beastly CLK63 AMG Black Series. It's a car that Jeremy Clarkson owned for a long time, and he sure does know a thing or two about what makes a great car. Under the hood is a beast of an engine, a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 known as the M156 unit.
It has 500hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. It's no track car at all despite the limited-slip differential, stiffer suspension, larger air intakes, diffuser, etc. This thing truly is a dinosaur, and that is why it's a fantastic car.
8 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series
AMG has a reputation for making big, expensive muscle cars that love to go sideways. Several of the cars on this list have been responsible for creating this reputation. However, Mercedes-AMG can make serious track cars and the AMG GT Black Series proves that.
This is the fastest production car around the Nürburgring right now. It's an evil car with an M178 4.0 Biturbo flat-plane V8 under the hood. It pushes out 720hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, enough to make it hit 60 in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 202 mph. The real party piece though is the driving dynamics. The rear wing can generate 400kg of downforce at 155 mph and the carbon-ceramic brakes are phenomenal.
7 Mercedes C63 AMG W204
The W204 C63 AMG is a scary car. AMG took a sensible C-Class and shoved a nuclear missile under the hood, known to the public as the M156. It's a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with 451hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. But that's not even the most powerful C63 model. The Black Series model had 510hp and 457 lb-ft of torque.
The engine is the real party piece. It gives people who own other German sports cars nightmares. The M3 and RS4 at the time of the W204 C63's launch in 2007 both used V8s. However, they were nothing compared to the one the C63 had. The M156 is one of the best engines ever, and in the C63 it's just phenomenal.
6 Mercedes SL55 AMG R230
Everybody loves this car. Steve Jobs had many, Jeremy Clarkson had one, and even Simon Cowell. Three very unique celebrities who were outspoken in every single way, just like the SL55. Under the hood is a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 known as the M113.
It has 493hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. This was later increased to 510hp and 531 lb-ft of torque in 2006. It hit 60 in around 4 seconds and unrestricted, this car could do over 200 mph. What a fantastic car that combines comfort and speed into one phenomenal package. Furthermore, it also looks stunning.
5 Mercedes E55 AMG W211
This car shook up the M5. Upon launch in 2002, it was the fastest production sedan in the world, and it smacked the Audi RS6 and BMW M5. Like the SL55, it had the supercharged 5.4-liter M113K V8 unit. It has less power, though, at 469hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. This was due to a smaller-diameter, longer exhaust system.
The E55 was an absolute monster. It was so deadly, Mercedes had to fit the E55 with the older 5g Tronic automatic gearbox rather than the newer 7g Tronic automatic gearbox due to the toque numbers. This car was a massive sales success, being the best selling AMG until the w204 C63 AMG came along.
4 Mercedes 300 SEL 6.8 "Red Pig"
This is probably the most iconic AMG ever. The 300 SEL was a full-size luxury car, in no way shape, or form a race car. But guess who decided to race a 300 SEL? AMG did, who in the early 70s was a small tuning house. They took a damaged 300 SEL to compete in racing events, and it ended up finishing 2nd in the 24 hrs of Spa in 1971.
At the end of the "Red Pigs" racing career, the car had 442hp, which was a lot. It was eventually sold to French car company Matra who used it for testing jet-fighter landing gear equipment. The engine was a huge 6.8-liter V8, which was an enlarged unit from the standard 300 SEL.
3 Mercedes R63 AMG
The R-Class was a luxury minivan. People didn't like it very much, as it's hardly anything interesting about it at all. AMG probably was bored of it too, so they shoved an M156 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 under the hood. The power figures were mental. This thing had 503hp, which in 2006 were supercar figures... in a minivan.
Who in their right mind shoves an engine like that into a minivan? It's ludicrous! And that's why this car deserves to go on this list. It's something that will never be replicated by any other car brand. It's everything an AMG should be; wild, fun, and completely bonkers.
2 Mercedes 300CE 6.0 "Hammer"
This car looks scary. No car should look this gangster-like with an all-black paint job, 5-spoke alloys, and a wide body. The AMG Hammer was as extreme as one could be. It was based on the E-Class Coupe (you could also get one in sedan form). Under the hood is a 6-liter 32-valve, naturally aspirated V8 with 380hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. It will hit 60 in around 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of 190 mph.
This was one of the fastest cars in the world back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's crazy, and only a few were made, so they are worth an absolute fortune these days.
1 Mercedes-AMG Project One
The Mercedes-AMG Project One may not be in production as of yet, but it shows off everything right that Mercedes-AMG has done. It was developed by the AMG Petronas Formula 1 team and seven-time world F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. This car then sure is very special.
Under the hood is a tiny 1.6-liter E-Turbo V6, which has been inspired by the AMG Formula One hybrid unit. The car also has an electric motor. The total power output is expected to be 1039hp, which will make it the most powerful production AMG ever. It will also hit 60 in a time of 2.2 seconds, with a top speed of 217 mph. We cannot wait for the production version of this car, which hopefully arrives next year.