Description
Mercedes Red Pig was the nickname given to the Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG, the car that announced AMG to the world. AMG, the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes Benz, was originally an independent engineering firm specialising in performance improvements for Mercedes Benz customer cars. Founded in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, whose last names became the “A” and “M” in “AMG.”, the “G” standing for Aufrecht’s birthplace of Grossaspach, Germany, the Mercedes Red Pig was born out of a request to take a Mercedes Benz 300 SEL racing. The AMG racer used the 6.3 litre V-8 bored out to 6.8 litres, upping the output to about 420 hp. Aluminium doors helped reduce the curb weight while the rear seats and wood trim remained. The track was widened to increase the cars footprint and increase grip with flared arches grafted onto the SEL in order to cover the new racing tyres that protruded. The nickname of the Mercedes Red Pig was given when the 1.5 ton car arrived at the Belgian SPA 24 hour race with the car crossing the line as the winner of its class and second overall against rivals that were perceived to be far faster. It could have won outright if it were not for the number of stops required to fuel the beast. Sadly, the original car did not survive; the car was sold to the French company Matra who destroyed the car through use of testing for high-speed testing of aircraft tires. Noted Mercedes Benz specialists Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors in Böblingen, Germany now produce four Mercedes Red Pigs a year, sourced from suitable 300 SEL 6.3 donors with a build time of approximately nine months at a cost of $400,000.
Limited edition print of 1/25, hand signed, numbered and embossed with a Certificate of Authenticity (CoA).
Art prints are produced via fine art digital printing using specialist archival pigment inks and 308gsm acid-free paper with excellent depth of colour, longevity and stability.
The print comes with white borders on all sides to allow ease of handling and framing.
Signed CoA includes image, name and details of the work and is printed on 308gsm paper.
We normally aim to have orders printed, processed and out for shipping within 10 working days.
