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"This legendary race car put AMG on the map after its class victory at the 1971 24 Hours of Spa."
―In-game catch text for the car, from GT7's car collection

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG '71 is a race car produced by Mercedes-Benz. Nicknamed the "Rote Sau", it appears in Gran Turismo Sport (as part of Update 1.47) and Gran Turismo 7.

In-game description[]

"This 300 SEL 6.8 AMG should be seen as an important part of AMG's success story. AMG started as a company that built competition vehicles based on Mercedes-Benz cars. It was established by former Damiler-Benz engineer Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher. The name of the brand comes from the combination of "A" for Aufrecht, "M" for Melcher and "G" for Grossaspach, the hometown of Aufrecht. The 300 SEL 6.8 AMG competed in the 24 Hours of Spa, where it won its class and finished 2nd overall. This result which really put AMG on the map. Mercedes-Benz owners flocked to AMG to have their car tuned by the company. AMG's fame spread from there, becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz in 2005."
―In-game description of the car, from GT7's Legend Car Dealership

The Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG is a touring car race machine built by AMG in their early days. AMG have since become a sub brand of Mercedes since 2014.

AMG was an engineering company established by two engineers from Daimler's development department, who started their own company in 1967. The car packs a 6.3L V8 from the W100 type 600, into the engine room of a W109 type 300 SEL which is normally powered by a 3L inline 6 cylinder. It won its class in the 1971 Spa-Francorchamps 24 hour race, and came in 2nd place overall. Its performance captured the hearts of Mercedes fans, and this kicked off the start of the company that would later go on to become a works team and official racing partner.

The base model Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 6.3 was already a fast car on its own, but AMG further enlarged the displacement to 6.8L, and added special cams and other dedicated parts developed in-house to raise its power from 246 BHP to 422 BHP.

It is said that 3 race cars and 2 test cars were produced in total.

Car Index (GT7)[]

AMG began as a company that designed and tested race engines, founded by two engineers from Daimler-Benz's development department. The company created this Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG for touring car races.

The stock 300 SEL 6.3 was powered by a 6.3-liter V-8. The car was plenty fast, but AMG decided to push the envelope even further by increasing the engine's displacement to 6.8 liters, adding special cams and other dedicated parts developed in-house to raise output from 246.5 HP to 422.1 HP. In 1971, the car won its class in the 1971 Spa Francorchamps 24 Hour race, and came in 2nd place overall.

It is said that only a total of three race cars and two test cars were ever produced.

Café Conversations (GT7)[]

Tom Matano[]

This 300 SEL may have been big for a sedan, but I consider it a sports sedan all the same. The best image of this car that I can recall is a head-on shot of it coming out of a corner at speed. It must have been intimidating for other drivers to see this machine in their rearview mirrors. This car is a great example of good visual weight balance. It also showcases great dynamic weight distribution in full racing trim.

Acquisition[]

Game Purchase location Credits Other methods
Gran Turismo Sport
(Update Iconv1.47+)
Mercedes-Benz Brand Central 2,000,000 ---
Gran Turismo 7 Legend Cars 700,000[1] ---

Trivia[]

  • The original car featured Camel sponsorships on the number circle; due to tobacco advertising regulations, they were removed.
  • It is believed that the car featured in-game is based on replicas built for legacy appearances, as the original race-winning car was sold off to Matra for aircraft testing.
  • The car makes an appearance as an opponent-only car in My First Gran Turismo (in the GT Cup race at Trial Mountain Circuit), being the only race car to be represented in the demo.

Notes[]

  1. Price as of June 2022.
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