AlphaCars & Ural of New England Official Blog

As a rule I despise the Prius, I just do, and no, I don’t have any logical explanation for this. It’s probably better for the environment, probably decent to drive, and it’s most likely affordable; all things that make up a car I need. I don’t know the history, I don’t know what genius stayed up late working on the model or pitching the idea, I literally know nothing. What I do know is that there are a LOT of people who drive a Prius, it’s everywhere in case you haven’t noticed. In fact, it’s a best seller as a hybrid car according to Business Insider here in America. Even looking that simple fact makes me doubt my instinct to dislike the Prius, but only doubt. I’d have to take a long look at a Prius and it’s history before deciding if I actually like it.

2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG Hard Top Roadster

On the other hand, if so many people are buying it, it must be doing something right. If a simple fact can have a small effect on my thinking, what will learning about a car’s history do? Let’s make this a little more relevant to a prominent brand we sell here at AlphaCars, Mercedes. I know your next question is, do I dare to detest this beautifully designed and well loved high end vehicle? Yes, yes I do. Again, there is no real logical reason other than the fact that I am a broke millennial who doesn’t get nice things. Mercedes is one of our specialties and now we shall dive into its interesting and complicated history. Are you ready?

AMG Beginning Years

Originally, AMG was a higher performance firm founded by Hans Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher that worked specifically on race engines. They were known then as AMG Engine Production and Development and worked independently from Mercedes. It wasn’t long until Mercedes wanted a piece of what AMG had to offer and so AMG worked on unofficial upgrades to various models that Mercedes would come out with. The most popular models to be modified were the Mercedes R107 and C107 (1971-1989), W116 (1972-1980), and the W123 (1976-1985) just to name a few. Customers would have to custom order their Mercedes-Benz with the AMG enhancements. Having the upgrade was great for the most part, but the downside was that they had to wait a little longer for their vehicle to be ready.

2015 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher, and Großaspach (Aufrecht’s birth town). That last bit I’m sure Melcher had an issue with, but let’s not stop there. Business was booming and the partnership with AMG and Mercedes had undergone some major accomplishments. With its accomplishments came those who wanted a piece of the money makin’ pie. After a long, complicated, and drawn out power struggle AMG ended up being owned by an entity of Mercedes. Within that power struggle the main location for AMG split in two. The original location stayed in Burgstal, Germany where they continued to work on the racing engines. The second location moved to Affalterbach, Germany where it worked with Mercedes permanently. Within that split, Melcher split as Aufrecht’s business partner and instead became an employee at the Burgstal facility while his former partner moved on.

AMG Today

Mercedes-AMG models have come a long way since their beginning days, veering far from their racing roots and focusing more on mastering the most luxurious, ferocious looking vehicle in the market. Some say that compared to BMW M, Mercedes-AMG is “less narrow in its sporting focus, yet still combining sledgehammer performance with relaxed handling, cultured comfort, and practicality.” There’s no denying how well they’ve done and how comfortable it is to be behind the wheel of a Mercedes, particularly the Mercedes-AMG. Some people, like the new AMG chairman, are urging the company to focus on building sports cars. Even so, Mercedes has a great presence in both racing and the consumer market.

2011 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Engine

I feel like I have a much better understanding of where Mercedes-AMG is coming from, don’t you? It’s definitely better to have the history of the vehicle rather than the statistic like we had for the Prius. Having this knowledge under my belt I feel two things. One, like a major car nerd, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Second, it makes me feel like I should test drive a Mercedes-AMG. I appreciate the high performance of the AMG, the noise it makes when you start the engine, and the slight smile that is instinctual when you press on the gas. Yes, I think I could learn to love this vehicle, or at least wish upon it as it drives gracefully and powerfully by.

Below is a link that will direct you to our website so you can schedule a test drive and showing of one of the AMG’s we currently have in stock.

Current Mercedes-AMG’s in Stock

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