In Wheel Time - Cartalk Radio

Two engineers walked away from the safe path and built an icon. That’s the spark behind AMG’s journey from late-night tuning to a seat at Mercedes’ top table, and author Matt DeLorenzo brings the full story to life with factory access, rare photos, and details that rarely leave the archives. We dive into the early moonlighting years, the audacious 300 SEL 6.8 “Red Pig” that shocked Spa in 1971, and how race wins turned a side hustle into the performance heartbeat of Mercedes-Benz.Matt helps us connect the dots from privateer sedans to the Hammer era, where a V8-stuffed E-Class redefined fast luxury for the U.S. market. We talk about German touring car glory, the first co-developed C 36, and the strategic moves that led Mercedes to buy AMG outright. Inside Affalterbach, the one-man-one-engine philosophy still stands, with each builder signing their work. That culture of accountability and craft underpins halo cars from the SLS Gullwing to the AMG GT, proving AMG can design from a clean sheet, not only tune.The