50 years of AMG on the occasion of the 24h of Spa-Francorchamps
08/03/2021
There was a sensation 50 years ago at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. It made the name AMG instantly famous worldwide. Hans Heyer and Clemens Schickentanz achieved a class victory and 2nd place overall with the mighty Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG luxury saloon from the W109 model series.
This success was magnificent, as the 1635 kg saloon had to hold its own against a whole pack of lightweights. And AMG had already slimmed down the four-door by 195 kg.
But the "red sow" liked the old, 14.863-long Ardennes circuit with its long straights. By dawn, there were only 23 cars left in the race. The driver from Affalterbach completed his laps unscathed and after 24 hours was the second car of only 18 remaining to cross the finish line.
Just in time for the anniversary, "HubAuto" brought the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with drivers Nicky Catsburg, Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Götz to the start in red and with the distinctive stamp.
As a tribute to the "red sow", as the SEL is also affectionately known, AMG is now launching the special edition "50 Years Legend of Spa". This special edition consists of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 (model year 2016) and the current evolutionary stage of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. All three racing cars are race-ready one-offs with special features and unique equipment. They are characterized by their paintwork, which is reminiscent of the striking look of the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG. In addition to the red base tone, the areas for the start numbers and sponsors are also unmistakably modeled on the cars used at Spa.
