Fifty-five years ago, two former Mercedes engineers started the company that now gives us Teutonic beasts.
Mercedes-AMG is marking 55 years with four special editions. Based on the 2023 AMG GLE SUV and Coupe, this paint and trim special-edition package will be offered in just 55 examples of each of the four. They’ll arrive at U.S. dealers starting later this year.
From Engine Builder to Performance Icon
![Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55 Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/06/22C0216_002-source.jpg)
The company AMG was first formed back in 1967 by former Mercedes-Benz engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher. Their names brought the A and M to the company name, with the G from Aufrecht’s hometown of Großaspach.
AMG’s original business was designing and testing racing engines, but by the early 1970s that had expanded to making go-fast parts and fully custom versions of standard Mercedes-Benz road cars.
By 1993, AMG had such a high-profile building modified Mercs that Benz parent Daimler signed a deal to sell AMGs directly from Mercedes-Benz showrooms. By 1999, Mercedes-Benz had bought a controlling share in the company, and Mercedes-AMG cars were leaving Mercedes-Benz factories with more power and bold styling to create a performance halo atop the Mercedes brand.
Fifty-five years from the company’s founding, it’s hard to imagine AMG not being part of Mercedes-Benz.
AMG Now a Key Part of Mercedes-Benz
![Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55 Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/06/22C0216_003-source.jpg)
Special Paint, Graphics, and Cabins
![Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55 Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/06/22C0216_004-source.jpg)
![Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55 Mercedes-AMG GLE Edition55](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/06/22C0216_005-source.jpg)