Now lets begin with basic stuff about each tuning house and get to know with each tuning house.
AMG
Sometimes good news comes in curious forms. For Hans-Werner Aufrecht, the decision by Mercedes-Benz to withdraw from all forms of racing for 1965 must have seemed a disaster.
As a teenager, he'd dreamt of building Mercedes race engines and now, soon after finding employment doing exactly that, the dream was about to be shattered.
A lesser person would have just accepted the inevitable and gone back to building road car engines. But not Aufrecht. With a like-minded colleague called Erhard Melcher, he managed to acquire a 300SE, strip it, raise the power of its engine from 170bhp to 238bhp and, with Manfred Schiek driving, win ten rounds of the 1965 German Touring Car Championship.
News travelled fast and, by the end of the following year, Aufrecht and Melcher were deluged with orders for faster Mercedes, for use on road or track. So in 1967, they decided to give up their jobs at Mercedes and set up shop on their own in nearby Burgstall. And in the moment when Aufrecht, Melcher and Aufrecht's hometown of Großaspach came together, AMG was born.
Business came thick and fast. Even Mercedes appeared to realise that it had missed a trick and started releasing more highly tuned versions of its road cars, the 1968 6.3-litre 300SEL to name the most obvious example. But what AMG could have interpreted as an attempt to pull the rug out from under its feet was instead regarded as a unique opportunity: however fast and powerful a Mercedes super-saloon might be, AMG backed itself to make it even faster and more powerful.
It took three years, but by the time of the 1971 Spa 24 Hours, a 6.3-litre 300SEL road car with 247bhp had become a 6.8-litre race car with 428bhp. Despite the gasps of crowd and competitors alike at the appearance of a large red cathedral on the grid, the SEL rumbled around to second place and a class win, outright victory being denied only by a rather frantic pitstop schedule needed to satisfy its appetite for fuel and tyres.
Business boomed, boosted by a demand for custom-made interiors as well as engines, and by 1976 it had outgrown the Großaspach premises, prompting a move to Affalterbach, where the company remains to this day.
By the mid-1980s, AMG was well into its stride and able not only to tune pre-existing product but to do so to such an extent that the resulting cars deserved to be thought of as models in their own right. The AMG 500SEC of 1984 had four-valve cylinder heads long before any purely Mercedes product, but it would be 1986 before AMG smashed its way into the global automotive psyche with a car that, appropriately enough, would become known as ‘The Hammer’.
This was a mid-sized W124 saloon into which AMG had squeezed Mercedes largest engine (5.6 litres), but only after fitting its own four-valve heads. One-time Autocar road test editor David Vivian described it thus: “Rapid enough to face down a Ferrari 288 GTO, it could be driven by your granny.” Back then, a rear-drive saloon with a four-speed auto ’box that could nevertheless hit 60mph in 5.0sec flat on its way to 183mph was an unprecedented, preposterous achievement.
By 1990, the relationship between Mercedes and AMG – which had existed on a far more harmonious basis than many tuning companies and the makers of their donor vehicles – became formalised. This led not only to providing Mercedes with AMG’s credibility but also to enabling AMG to sell its cars through Mercedes dealers with Mercedes-backed warranties. Most significantly, however, Mercedes and AMG started to work together on product design.
The very first fruit of these labours was the W202-based C36 AMG of 1993. Today, when you can buy an AMG C-class with 507bhp, the 276bhp of the C36 might not seem like much, but back then it was enough to put it on near enough equal terms with the E36-generation BMW M3, even if, with softer springs, a higher kerb weight and the retention of a four-speed automatic transmission, its character was distinctly different. This was a crucial car, because it set the tone for an entire generation of AMG models to come. The rest of the 1990s were spent fleshing out the ranges from a central hub of core product, with spokes flailing out to some of the maddest cars ever to wear a three-pointed star on their nose.
For example, the 5.9-litre, manual-transmission G60 AMG off-roader, the 6.2m-long, six-door S63 AMG Pullman, the 25-off road-going version of the CLK GTR Le Mans car and the SL73 AMG roadster, whose 7291cc motor is, I believe, still the largest ever fitted to a standard production post-war Mercedes road car.
But it was by no means the most powerful. By 2001, Mercedes and AMG had embraced a technology that it had used to dominate grand prix racing before the war. By supercharging its 5.4-litre V8, a new level of power and performance was achieved, with no loss of driveability. Even in its least powerful guise, a 2002 E55 AMG saloon had exactly the same power as a Ferrari F40 and a top speed that would have nudged 200mph were it not electronically limited to 155mph.
The next year, 2003, was a massive one for AMG. At one end of the spectrum, its engine powered the McLaren-built SLR. At the other, AMG produced its first diesel (who remembers the C30 CDI AMG?), but with only 227bhp, the five-cylinder motor was more diesel than AMG. In the same year, AMG introduced its twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 to the S-class, an engine that continues in the S65 AMG to this day.
Another landmark came three years later, with the release of a new 6.2-litre, normally aspirated V8 to replace the old blown V8. Astonishingly, it was the very first engine to be a pure AMG design from the ground up and not based in any way on a pre-existing Mercedes product. This was also the year in which Mercedes and AMG launched its first ‘Black Series’ car, the SLK AMG Black Series.
More Black Series models followed, including the wondrous CLK Black and the less impressive SL65 Black, but these were merely preparatory to AMG’s greatest achievement to date. When McLaren got the gig to develop the SLR, some at AMG were a little piqued and thought that they could have managed such a project themselves. Their time soon came and, in the SLS, produced the first bespoke AMG car, a machine that was cheaper and better to drive than the SLR and which also reintroduced gullwing doors and, in the SLS AMG E-Cell, the first all-electric supercar.
Today and with the introduction of the A45 AMG – AMG’s first take on a compact hatch – there are AMG versions of every Mercedes passenger car on sale save the B-class, every one with a motor assembled according to AMG’s ‘one man, one engine’ philosophy.
In recent years AMG produced new C63 AMG and replacement for SLS AMG, the AMG GT. Taking on the most iconic sports car of all will be no easy task, but if anyone is up to the task, it is the men and women of Affalterbach.
M DIVISION
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of the first production road car developed by BMW's iconic M division. That model was the BMW M1 and, since then, M has been responsible for some of the most celebrated road cars of all time.
BMW M GmbH, previously known as BMW Motorsport GmbH, is the racing subsidiary of BMW initially created to facilitate BMW’s motorsport program during the 1960s and 1970s.
Founded in May 1972 with 35 employees, BMW M supplemented BMW’s road car portfolio with specially enhanced models. By 1988, the company had grown to 400 employees and swiftly became a fundamental part of BMW’s market presence.
The BMW M1 was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1978, this was the first official M-badged car for sale to the public. Designed by Paul Bracq with final touches by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugaro, the mid-engined coupé featured a 277 BHP six-cylinder engine taken from the 3.0 CSL and was capable of 165 MPH (260 kmh).
Only 456 production M1s were built. Later, the M1 spawned a racer to compete in a one-make series, Procar. Despite attracting drivers such as Hans-Joachim Stuck, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet, the series lasted just two years.
In 1979, the car regarded as the first proper M car for the road was launched. The BMW M535i was the predecessor to the E28 M5 and was a high-performance variant of BMW’s popular 5-series saloon. Powered by the 215bhp 3.5-litre M30B34 engine, it incorporated Recaro seats, bigger brakes, a limited-slip differential and a close-ratio transmission.
Four years passed and the M635CSi was launched. M applied its magic to the 6-series, fitting the new M88/3 engine which developed 282bhp and made the M635CSi good for 158mph. Just 5,859 models were built, although plenty of lesser models gained M badges fitted by owners - a trend that continues today.
The first M5, based on the E28-generation 5-series, set the blueprint for a performance saloon. It combined the best of the 5-series - comfort, refinement and build quality - with vastly improved performance. It could reach 62mph in 6.5sec and run on to 153mph; fast even by today’s standards. With luxuries such as electric windows, central locking and light alloy wheels, it was evident the M division were beginning to target the premium sector. A family saloon car developing this power was previously unheard of and it was a gamble that paid off for BMW.
Arguably the most crucial year in the history of BMW M was 1986, with the launch of the E30 M3.
The first M3s produced 197bhp from their high-revving 2.3-litre inline four-cylinder 16-valve unit. However, the later Evolution and Sport Evolution models produced 217bhp and 235bhp respectively. Zero to 62mph in 6.9sec, allied to touring-car-esque handling, it was a stunning package still highly-regarded to this day.
Two years later, a larger, more luxurious body shell meant increased power when the E34 BMW M5 came to the fore in 1988. Utilising the 535i chassis, it was mated to a 311bhp, 266lb ft 3.6-litre straight-six motor, later upgraded to 3.8-litres from 1992. It remains the fastest M5 sold in the UK to date, with a top speed of 177mph.
The BMW 850CSi was the nearest M came to developing a supercar. It was an M car in all but name, and took over from the prototype M8. The 850i’s engine was tuned so extensively that BMW assigned it a new engine code – S70. A 5.6-litre V12 – the only M car to feature 12 cylinders - and 375bhp made it good for a limited top speed of 155mph. It was BMW’s flagship car at the time and incorporated advanced kit such as active four-wheel steering.
The E36 M3 had a hard act to follow when it launched in 1992. It gained two more cylinders over the four-pot E30, and the new model eventually spawned coupe, convertible and saloon versions. It was initially offered with a 3.0-litre straight-six developing 282bhp, but later models gained a new 3.2-litre straight-six from 1995, which boosted power to 316bhp. The E36 M3 was touted as one of the best handling cars of the nineties, and in 1997 introduced BMW’s Sequential Manual Gearbox.
In 1998, BMW M released the M Roadster and Coupe. It was a hybrid of the Z3 - a car largely unloved at the time - and the E36 M3 Evo, from which it took brakes and much of the suspension. The M Coupe, known as the breadvan, remains an enigmatic performance car with a cult following.
The same year saw the launch of the E39 M5, a car created in far greater numbers than its predecessors and built on the same assembly line as the regular 5-series. Power was now up to 394bhp from the new 4.9-litre V8 and 0-60mph dispatched in 4.8sec.
The millennium saw the introduction of the third generation of M3, the E46, which offered up 338bhp from its 3.2-litre straight six. For the first time since the E30 M3, a saloon version was not available. With a 0-62mph time of 5.1sec and limited to 155mph, it is considered one of the greatest all-round sports cars, particularly in CSL guise.
That model was a lightweight limited-edition version of the E46. It was 110kg lighter than the standard M3 coupe and the tuned 3.2-litre straight-six was up to 355bhp. It is still regarded as one of M’s finest creations.
2005 saw the introduction of the most advanced M5 to date. The E60 M5 featured a 500bhp V10 which was designed to link the car with BMW’s Formula One effort. It was the fastest four-door saloon at the time of its release. Capable of 200mph de-restricted, it was only available with the SMG III sequential manual gearbox. It boasted a host of technology to vary the speed of gearshifts, and the driver was able to adjust power output on the move.
The same year saw the launch of the M5’s sister car, the M6. It marked a return of the hot 6-series, not seen since the M635CSi, and offered a proper GT in BMW’s line-up.
The naturally-aspirated BMW M3, the E92 coupe debuted in 2007 with a 4.0-litre V8 kicking out 414bhp at a heady 8300rpm. In 2008, the four-door E90 saloon was launched. This model also saw the debut of BMW’s M-DCT twin-clutch gearbox. The E92 served as the platform for the GTS. Just 250 were built, and it was powered by a 444bhp 4.4-litre V8. It attracted a price tag of more than 100,000 euros.
M’s first SUVs hit the showrooms in 2009. The BMW X5 M and X6 M both pack a 555bhp 4.4-litre V8. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo rivals return predigious performance, dispatching 62mph in a around 4.5sec.
Despite losing two cylinders, the F10-generation BMW M5 remains one on the best supersaloons on sale. Like the E60 M5 it replaced, it bristles with technology, all in the pursuit of ultimate performance. Its much the same story with the M6, which is now sold as a coupe, convertible and a four-door GranCoupe.
The same year, the 1-series M was launched. Lauded as the spirtual successor to the E30 M3, the limited run's iconic status was assured. The limited-run model had a wider track and power came from a 340bhp version of the engine from the 335i.
The BMW M4 was unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show in January. It represents a split with the M3 - that nameplate will be reserved for four-door models - and will eventually see the introduction a an M4 cabriolet. In either bodystyle, it will be armed with a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six, producing 450bhp and 480lb ft of torque. This will hustle the 1500kg M4 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds and onto a 155mph limited top speed. It will only be available with M’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
With cars as promising as the M4 on the horizon, the future appears very bright indeed for BMW’s M division. Here’s to the next 45 years.
There you have it guys, this is what these two tuning houses did for the last 30, 40 years. They gave us such amazing cars over that years. For the last 30, 40 years they made generation after generation of gearheads happy with their amazing cars. Lets just wish they continue with that.
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