Early model from AMG
Power increased to 320 hp
Fully documented since the beginning
Quite an extraordinary history
With its third owner since 1999
Equipped with air conditioning
Matching numbers

In March 1968, Mercedes Benz unveiled the 300 SEL 6.3 – a sensational vehicle that completely overturned conventional thinking about performance. Thanks to the 6.3-litre engine from the 600, Germany's fastest new car now had four doors. The magazine "Auto, Motor und Sport" published a test of the 320 hp 6.3 from AMG in its 09/71 issue. The comparison vehicles with similar performance were mainly from Italy and were fairly flat. In July 1971, a bright red 6.3 tuned by AMG took second place overall in the 24-hour race at Spa-Franchorchamps – the sports car world was amazed. The "Rote Sau" (Red Sow), as the racer was quickly dubbed, is still a fixture in the sports car world today and was probably the breakthrough for AMG.

On 25 October 1968, this silver 6.3 was registered by an entrepreneur in Sonthofen, Bavaria, equipped with air conditioning and a sunroof, "bamboo" leather and other nice touches. By the 1970s, the Benz was only driven in the summer; a 450 SEL 6.9 was used for everyday driving. It was not until June 1987 that the car enthusiast transferred ownership of the sports Benz to his daughter. When she emigrated to Portugal after her father's death in 1999, she parted with his favourite car due to the immense luxury tax imposed on such vehicles there.

In September 1999, the contributor acquired the Mercedes with around 24,000 kilometres on the odometer in its original condition, well preserved but with signs of age. He first had the bodywork extensively repaired, as documented by invoices and photos. Over the years, the mechanics were then overhauled piece by piece by specialist companies and driven, as can be seen from the countless invoices.

However, Günter Lehmann's workshop, well known in Mercedes circles, noticed the uneven idling during the first service. After a long search, the cause was found: AMG sports camshafts! AMG had probably equipped the engine with performance level 2 in the early 1970s. In figures, that means 320 hp instead of the standard 250 hp. The increase in power was achieved through classic tuning: enlarged and polished channels, shortened valve guides, polished intake manifolds, lighter rocker arms, lighter Mahle Autothermatik forged pistons, increased compression and sports camshafts with greater overlap. The increased torque in the upper rev range came at the expense of smoothness when idling, but the clients tended to be left-hand drivers accustomed to winning rather than comfort-loving parkers.

A conversation between the seller and the second owner shed some light on the matter. Her father and the authorised signatory of his company were constantly competing for the faster car. When the authorised signatory drove up in a Maserati Mistral, the boss presented himself at AMG with the 6.3... As was customary at the time, nothing was entered in the papers, of course.

In 2010, the owner recklessly sold the car, only to buy it back shortly afterwards. The AMG tuning was then entered into the vehicle documents. The specialist company Wörle Fahrzeugtechnik documented the tuning with photographs of the AMG embossed stamps on the front of the camshafts and pictures of the lightened and polished rocker arms. With the dedicated help of Erhard Melcher, the "M" of AMG, the timing was adjusted to match the tuning. Finally, after an extensive TÜV inspection, the historic conversion, including the higher performance, was correctly entered in the vehicle documents.

The existing copy of the data card proves that the original engine is still installed. Countless invoices document the work carried out on the mechanics and bodywork. The small special steering wheel in the style of the original, as well as the forged 7Jx15" Fuchs rims from a batch of prototypes for the W126, are a treat and put the finishing touch on this Porsche-scaring car. The standard steering wheel is available and is of course included.

This 300 SEL 6.3 inspires with so many details as well as with its history, which is perhaps why it was the photo car for the story "30 Years of 6.3" in Motor Klassik, issue 05/2008.