BRABUS vs. AMG
Jason
I thought I recently read that AMG has actually merged with Damliner-Benz. I
think they may be helping designing particular models now directly.
Dan wrote:
> What has happened here, I see Brabus tuning everywhere, and AMG is nowhere
> to be found. Has Brabus replaced AMG as the premier Mercedes-Benz tuner?
> For years AMG has been the market leader, and all of a sudden a company I
> have never heard of took it's place. Anybody out there know these folks
> (Brabus)? How they got started? How long ago?
> Also what are your opinions regarding the BRABUS E V12
> (http://www.brabus.com/e12.htm) the fastest sedan on the planet, priced at
> DM 457,000 or about $250,000.
>
> --
> -- Dan
>
> Please post all replies to the newsgroup!
> (Not a real e-mail address -- to many SPAMs)
Dan
Robert
AMG is alive and well. They were so good and successful at what they
did that Mercedes bought them. Mercedes uses their expertise and
their tiny facility to turn out limited numbers of factory-blessed
hopped-up cars. Mercedes then turns around and sells these modified
cars through their dealerships complete with full-factory warranties.
It's an identical situation to BMW and Motorsport which make the "M"
variant of BMW cars such as the M3 (though in much larger numbers).
I currently own an AMG C36 and can vouch for AMG's prowess at what
they do. The C36 is a 3.6 liter 280+ horsepower bored and stroked
version of Mercedes' 2.8 liter engine. It is my educated opinion that
the stated horsepower figures are, if anything, on the low side of
reality. Of course there is also major suspension, tire and wheel,
brake and transmission work. Usually AMG substitutes parts from other
higher-line Mercedes vehicles. The brakes, for instance, are fitted
off the SL and since are designed to stop a much heavier vehicle, can
stop a car the size of the C-class (C36) in phenomenal time. In
addition, there is also many interior and exterior cosmetic
improvements. They completely transform the C-class 280 Mercedes into
a vehicle of astounding proportions. One listen to the AMG
tuned-exhaust note and people salivate. Being one who thrives on
performance, I would have never bought a "normal" Mercedes. This car
has all the sophistication and luxury of a Mercedes but can out-run
most purebred sports cars. Mercedes and AMG indeed make a formidable
team.
The writing on the wall is a bit scary though. Information on the
next generation AMG C43 (based on the new 8-cylinder C-class) and AMG
E55 (based on the E-series and only formally sold in Europe as the
E50) is slowly leaking out. The cars will have much fewer horsepower
than many performance enthusiasts have hoped. With such hotroded
luxury cars as the new Jaguars, Lexus's and BMWs entering the market,
AMG would appear to be giving much ground away. It's possible that
Mercedes is more interested in increased reliability, raising
production units, or putting marketing ahead of production costs, and
has taken some of the teeth out of AMG's bite. If this is the case,
it will be a sad day for performance enthusiast who have long heralded
the AMG name.
Furthermore, this will open the doors for other fine tuners like
Brabus to further modify these cars. While I have little experience
with their product, I'm sure they do a fine job. Living in the US, I
could not possibly think of buying such a modified car as it would
instantly void the Mercedes warranty and there would be absolutely no
place to take it for service. I won't even mention the astronomical
costs involved with such a purchase.
For further information on AMG, please visit my friend's web site. He
also owns the same year AMG C36 but has a slightly different
perspective as he resides in Switzerland. Go to:
http://www.datacomm.ch/~speedfreak/index.html
I hope I have helped.
Happy Motoring,
Robert
rob...@1stop.com
On Tue, 23 Sep 1997 22:22:15 -0400, Jason <jst...@javanet.com> wrote:
>I thought I recently read that AMG has actually merged with Damliner-Benz. I
>think they may be helping designing particular models now directly.
>
>Dan wrote:
>
John Bradley
waste of money!!!!!!!!!