MERCEDES BENZ E 50 AMG (W210) 1996-1997 Photos, engines & full specs

The w210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E50 AMG was only built for a year, but it was enough to shake the Mercedes world. The mid-size sedan was able to sprint, and roar.

After BMW took the charge with the sport-sedan BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz had to give a proper answer to the Bavarian car-maker and its most fierce competitor. They assigned the AMG tuner to work their magic on the car and the result exceeded expectations.

From the outside, the E50 AMG was hard to distinguish from the regular E-Class. There was a slightly different front bumper. The main difference was at the wheels, which featured a different design with a big center and five wide and short spokes. In the back, since the exhaust pipes were hidden under the rear apron, it was even harder for someone to tell the difference, apart from the chromed E50 badge, which was a zero cost to remove it from the factory.

The interior was usually black with bucket seats in the front and side bolstering. While the E-Class was oriented for a comfortable ride, the AMG was focused on the performance side. The instrument cluster was almost identical with the rest of the range, except for the AMG badge on the speedometer.

The E50 AMG featured the same basic 5.0-liter V8 engine from the E500 model, but with different headers and injection settings. It offered 347 hp and it was mated to a standard 5-speed automatic gearbox. The official record stated that the car was able to rocket from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 6.2 seconds, but independent tests showed that it could get as low as 5.8 seconds.