Photo: RM Sotheby's
AMG is known for its tire-smoking antics, but before Affalterbach became a Mercedes-Benz partner and the automaker's performance division, there was the Red Pig. Instantly recognizable thanks to the paintwork and bodyside stickers, die Rote Sau finished 2nd in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps when AMG was still a small tuning company founded by two ex-Mercedes engineers.
You could even say this fellow here is a one-hit wonder of the motorsport world, but you’d be half right because you’re looking at a replica. To be auctioned at no reserve on February 5th, chassis number 109.018.12.002140 is a faithful recreation of the original - inside and out.
The donor car is a 300 SEL, make no mistake about that, a 1969 model year that’s been modified to Red Pig specification by Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors. The Mercedes-Benz specialist from Boblingen, Germany then sold the car to D.Parts chief executive officer for South Korea, James Goo Kim. Only 800 kilometers were put on the odometer since the conversion, and we’re not surprised.
Rm Sotheby’s doesn’t mention if the engine’s been bored out to 6.8 liters, but chances are that’s what Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors did in order to stay true to the original. The M100 with Bosch fuel injection puts out close to 250 horsepower from 6.3 liters while the 6.8 churns out approximately 420 ponies.
The M100 is a storied powerplant in the Mercedes-Benz world, having been introduced in the 600. Each V8 was bench-tested for four-and-a-half hours, of which 40 minutes were under full load to make sure the engine is up to snuff. Yup, that’s the era when Mercedes quality control was the best in the biz!
Turning our attention back to the replicar, there’s no pre-auction estimate on chassis number 109.018.12.002140 on the RM Sotheby’s website. What is sure, however, is that bidding will be especially fierce given the rarity of Red Pig replicas and the motorsport legacy of the original from 1969.
In total, AMG built three racers and two prototypes of die Rote Sau.
The donor car is a 300 SEL, make no mistake about that, a 1969 model year that’s been modified to Red Pig specification by Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors. The Mercedes-Benz specialist from Boblingen, Germany then sold the car to D.Parts chief executive officer for South Korea, James Goo Kim. Only 800 kilometers were put on the odometer since the conversion, and we’re not surprised.
Rm Sotheby’s doesn’t mention if the engine’s been bored out to 6.8 liters, but chances are that’s what Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors did in order to stay true to the original. The M100 with Bosch fuel injection puts out close to 250 horsepower from 6.3 liters while the 6.8 churns out approximately 420 ponies.
The M100 is a storied powerplant in the Mercedes-Benz world, having been introduced in the 600. Each V8 was bench-tested for four-and-a-half hours, of which 40 minutes were under full load to make sure the engine is up to snuff. Yup, that’s the era when Mercedes quality control was the best in the biz!
Turning our attention back to the replicar, there’s no pre-auction estimate on chassis number 109.018.12.002140 on the RM Sotheby’s website. What is sure, however, is that bidding will be especially fierce given the rarity of Red Pig replicas and the motorsport legacy of the original from 1969.
In total, AMG built three racers and two prototypes of die Rote Sau.
Google News