Today, AMG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, but back in the early '80s, it was still a relatively new indie tuning house looking to make a name for itself. Originally founded in 1967, the company had spent the '70s producing performance upgrades for Mercedes-Benz models and several cosmetic upgrades, including body kits and wheels. But, the launch of the Hammer really thrust the company onto the global stage, redefining what a performance sedan could look like in the process.
Updated January 2023: The AMG Hammer was one of the world's coolest tuned vehicles. It had a beautiful design and ferocious performance. During its time, sports cars and muscle cars dominated the automotive world, and the idea of a super sedan didn't exist. Here's an updated list of everything you might have forgotten about the AMG Hammer.
The idea of a super-sedan hadn't existed before the Hammer, but here was a car that could speed up faster than many of the Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the time, yet could still carry four adult passengers in comfort. It might have been an innovative performance machine, but it was a rare one too, and that was mostly thanks to its sky-high asking price. We Are Curated estimates that a fully built Hammer would have cost $161,422, or roughly double what a Ferrari Testarossa of the time would have cost. There was nothing else like it on the market, and in many ways, there has been nothing quite like it since.
10 Best '80s German Performance Car
Looking back to the '80s, only a few cars would rival the AMG Hammer. In the sports car segment, one of the best versions was the 911 Turbo. While it might have been a wee bit quicker, the Hammer flattened it on practicality, comfort, and the ability to rocket across the earth.
In the sedan segment, only the BMW M5 came close to rivaling the Hammer. Being that there were no thrilling options from most German manufacturers, the AMG Hammer grew to become one of the most loved performance cars of its time.
9 Worth A Pretty Penny Today
Because of its rarity, the Hammer is one of the most collectible AMG models today. With around 30 units made in total, it's among the most sought-after collector cars on the market.
Unlike its competitors, the Hammer was available in multiple body styles. Among the rarest versions were the wagon and the coupe. Nowadays, models like this AMG Hammer Coupe 6.0L sell for record-breaking amounts of up to $761,800.
8 Hit The Market In 1986
The Hammer was first introduced to buyers in 1986, and upon its debut, it immediately caught buyers' attention. With about 375 horsepower on tap, the Hammer was just as powerful as the supercars of the era, yet it was based on a rather uninspiring executive sedan.
At the time, AMG was a well-known tuner in Germany but had made little of an impact on the global market. However, the Hammer changed that, and quickly, international importers contacted the company to request cars for clients as far away as the U.S. and Japan. In particular, a deal with US-based Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories made the car an enormous hit in America. It quickly found its way to the cover of the most prestigious automotive magazines of the era.
7 Based On The W124 E-Class
It's worth taking a step back to appreciate just how different the Hammer was from the W124 Mercedes-Benz. Even though it shared the chassis with the W124 E-Class, it was one of the last classically-styled E-Class generations and is now a cult classic in its own right.
However, the stock E-Class certainly wasn't fast, at least not near the Hammer's level. To complete its transformation from E-Class to a full Hammer, it had to undergo an engine swap and several component upgrades, plus a widebody kit had to be fitted. Even the interior received a transformation for a more luxurious finish.
6 Three Engines Were Available
Upon commissioning a Hammer, buyers had a choice of three engines, all of which were V8s: a 5.0L, a 5.6L, or a 6.0L. The 6.0L was the priciest, but for those with the cash to splash, it was the one to have since it could sprint from a standstill to 62 mph in just 5 seconds flat.
Apparently, only 12 examples of the car got the top-spec 6.0L engine, making them the rarest (and priciest) variants today. That's not to say the smaller engines were slow, though, as even the base-spec 5.0L V8 still made around 350 horsepower, although the exact figures are unclear.
5 Faster Than A Lamborghini Countach
Testing at the time confirmed that between 60 mph and 120 mph, the Hammer was faster than almost anything else on the market, including the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Testarossa. Its speedometer officially topped out at 199 mph, and AMG would only quote its top speed as being "north of 190 mph."
Despite being a worthy rival to the greatest supercars of its day, the AMG didn't initially build the Hammer to compete against them at all. Instead, they made it in response to the unveiling of BMW's M5 concept car, which had the engine from the M1 but kept the practicality of the executive sedan. It turned out that the production M5 wouldn't be nearly as fast as the Hammer, but then again, it wouldn't be anywhere near as pricey.
4 Peak '80s Luxury Interior
Step inside the AMG, and things were just as revolutionary as they were on the outside. The Hammer had plush leather seats for the driver and every passenger. It also got real-wood accents throughout the interior.
The cabin design was very much a product of its time, with many Hammers featuring a large ashtray. Clearly, AMG was catering to a very specific clientele that doesn't exist in the same way today.
3 Most Were Four-Door Models
Most of the Hammers built were of the four-door variety, but not all of them. A few were two-door coupes, and AMG also built a wagon version for a customer in Chicago. However, look at any of these variants, and you'll find they look markedly different from the standard W124 body.
Most Hammers had a widebody kit that, although it significantly altered the overall appearance of the car, was a lot more restrained in its styling than many of the other products of its time. Perhaps this is why it's aged much better than other ultra-expensive German-built specials, like the infamous Koenig-Specials.
2 AMG Isn't Sure About The Total Production Number
In true '80s tuner style, AMG has said that it can't be exactly sure how many AMG Hammers there are. As mentioned previously, it's known that AMG made 12 top-spec 6.0L-engine cars, but around 30 Hammers were estimated to be constructed in total.
This becomes more complicated because AMG sold various configurations of the Hammer package, some with more extreme modifications than others. The most basic package didn't touch the car's exterior, instead simply bolting in an upgraded version of the V8 engine from the 560 SEC. Only the most expensive packages contained the full works, with a complete body kit, lowered AMG suspension, and competition Pirelli tires.
1 Its Legacy Stretches Beyond The Car Itself
Not only was the AMG Hammer an incredible piece of engineering and one of the coolest cars of the '80s, but it also paved the way for a whole new segment of the car industry. It showed manufacturers that a market for super-sedans existed and that, in the case of the AMG, buyers would pay a fortune to own the top-spec version of that car.
Not only that, but the Hammer also enabled AMG to establish enduring partnerships with Mercedes-Benz. Initially, Mercedes-Benz contracted AMG to design official performance versions of their cars and eventually absorbed AMG into the company. It's safe to say that without the Hammer, Mercedes would not be making AMGs in the way it does today, and the raft of excellent AMG-tuned cars that followed the Hammer may have never even existed at all.
Sources: BMW, Bring a Trailer