A historic win that brought the AMG brand to the forefront of motorsport almost immediately.
Mercedes-AMG made its mark at Spa-Francorchamps’ 24-hour race almost 50 years ago. The Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.8AMG was the contender. This young performance company won a class win and second overall place at the race. Many people became familiar with the “Red Pig” name. Ultimately, Aulfrecht-Melcher-Grossaspach rose to the major motorsport stage – representing three letters that we all know today.
Mercedes-AMG released three special race cars to celebrate its historic 1971 motorsport debut. They reflect the famous Mercedes Red Pig and are collectively known as the “50 Years Legend of Spa”.
One Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, and one Mercedes-AMG GT3 are the limited edition “50 Years Legend of Spa” race car. They also include the latest evolution version of Mercedes-AMG GT3. These track-only machines are a rare breed.
The three one-offs bear the red livery that evokes the 300 SEL 6.8AMG winning 300 SEL 6.8AMG, but instead of the number 35, each one-off comes with the number 50. Each one-off also includes the shapes and colors of sponsors at the time the Red Pig entered Spa.
The limited edition race cars are adorned with a Graphite Metallic Matte exterior and an instrument panel made of carbon fiber materials. A plaque commemorating Hans Werner Aufrecht, founder of AMG, is included with the panel.
The technical specifications of each special-edition race car are almost preserved, with the exception of the unregulated performance exhaust system. The 650-horsepower (478 kilowatts) AMG 6.3L V8 can be unleashed with no restriction.
This year’s 24-hour race at Spa will see the debut of special edition race cars. A replica of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8AMG Red Pig will also be on display. The MY 2016 GT3 is available for purchase at 500,000 Euros (roughly $593,000), and the updated version costs 575,00 Euros ($682,000). The SLS AMG GT3 is available for purchase at 650,000 euros ($771,000).