This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 6.0 AMG Hammer Sedan started life as a 300E ordered through the Stuttgart Branch and presumably built by AMG Germany where it was then mechanically and cosmetically enhanced by the Affalterbach tuning and racing house early in its life. Barry Taylor (AMG West) was the one to import this Hammer in 1991 for Seward Prosser Mellon out of Pennsylvania with a matching plaque shown. The current owner of this AMG Hammer located and purchased this Hammer sedan out of a local San Francisco collector’s estate approximately five years ago and has since been mechanically restoring the car with such services as ignition, fuel system overhaul, fuel injectors, air bypass lines, EHA valve, new tires, suspension refresh, steering refresh and much more. Finished in Black Pearl Metallic (199) over Gray Suede and Leather interior, power is provided by an AMG-modified 6.0-liter DOHC 32-valve M117 V8 engine paired to a re-valved four-speed automatic transmission from a W126. Other AMG modifications include a full AMG aero body kit, Gray Suede Recaro Bucket Seats front (heated) and rear, a Momo M38 AMG steering wheel, 17” AMG Aero I wheels, AMG shocks, reinforced rear subframe, ducktail spoiler, Sebring AMG exhaust, and much more. The odometer shows only 29,423 original miles and this AMG Hammer is being offered on behalf of the seller with detailed recent service records, a pair of spare AMG heads, three keys, a Barry Taylor importation sheet, tool kit, fire extinguisher, manufacturer’s literature, in-period magazine articles, spare wheel, fitted car cover, a spare Concord CX70 head unit, and a clean California title in the owner’s name.
The body is finished in Black Pearl “aka Blue-Black” Metallic (199) with matching lower cladding, a power retractable/tilt sunroof, paint-matched headlight wipers, a paint-matched monowiper, heat rejecting glass, central locking, and Euro-spec glass headlights. The period-installed AMG body kit features a sculpted front bumper with fog lights, a rear ducktail spoiler, sculpted rear bumper, extended side skirts, and dual polished AMG exhaust outlets. Paint meter readings are included in the gallery and indicate a repaint under prior ownership. Monochromatic trim is seen on the grill, bumpers, and door handles, and this Hammer features a hood ornament delete. Euro amber corner lenses are installed and the glass shows all original.
Original 17” AMG Aero I wheels are finished with Black Pearl Metallic (199) painted faces, machined lips, and are complete with original AMG flat center caps. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires show 2025 date codes up front and 2020 for the rears. The tires measure 215/45 and 235/45 respectively which are the correct sizes per AMG specifications for the Hammer. The current owner removed tires with 1991 date codes when he purchased the car in 2020. AMG-branded shocks are fitted underneath along with a period-correct Sebring exhaust made specifically for the W124 AMG. The owner notes that the rear muffler is from a M104 AMG car that he retrofitted to make work for this Hammer. The stampings in the exhaust are shown and detailed underside photos. Braking is handled with dual-piston rear brake calipers from a S124 and the fronts have larger ATE BMW E32 7-Series brakes. The current owner performed a brake fluid service, replaced the front driver tie rod, and replaced worn suspension items as needed. No suspension knocks or clunks are noted when driving. The rear subframe on a Hammer has been reinforced by AMG as they use W126 running gear fused to the five-link independent rear suspension. A 560SEL differential replaces the stock W124 with W126 flex discs. The underside photos show the aforementioned strengthening and reinforcement.
The interior is finished in Gray Suede with Recaro bucket seats in both the front and rear, Gray Suede door inserts on all four doors, an AMG M38 leather wrapped steering wheel, gray carpets and wool floor mats. Burl walnut wood accents the center console, dashboard, glovebox, and optional extended wood on the door cards. Amenities include automatic climate control, cruise control, electrically adjustable heated front seats with some manual settings, dealer installed burl walnut driver side cup holder, power passenger side mirror, and a rear folding armrest for the rear Recaro seats.
An Alpine CDE-172 BT head unit is currently installed in the center console with the original Concord CX70 head unit in the box that is included with the sale which was presumably installed by Andy Cohen at Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories along with an upgraded sound system featuring a spare audio box on the rear parcel shelf. Brochures for a Ungo Box TL-1600 Car Vehicle Protection System are in the glovebox with the module located within the front bumper as seen under the car. The seller believes it has been decommissioned. The seller notes the A/C panel will need to be refurbished as it continuously blows air through the vents. The climate control system does blow cold air and the heat works as well. All four windows roll down and the sunroof retracts and tilts.
The leather-wrapped AMG M38 steering wheel is mounted with the correct AMG adapter. Instrumentation includes a standard 160-mph speedometer and a 7k-rpm tachometer with an inset analog clock. Additional readouts include fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and instant economy. The six-digit odometer shows approximately 29,423 original miles.
The most important aspect that makes this a Hammer is the AMG-modified 6.0-liter DOHC 32-valve M117 V8 engine that increased engine output to approximately 385 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque. The car originally came fitted with a 3.0-liter M103 inline-six which was then swapped for a 5.5-liter M117 from a 560SEC/L of the era. AMG then bored, polished, blueprinted, and balanced the all-aluminum engine's internals and swapped the stock single-cam, two-valve-per-cylinder heads for its own free-breathing, twin-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder units. The bored and stroked engine meant Mercedes-Benz had to use Porsche 928 pistons for the new design and their own head gasket design to boot. The firewall modifications are shown in the gallery and indicate how AMG had to cut and hammer the first firewall so the engine would fit in the bay appropriately. Modules, battery, and wiring had to be moved elsewhere to make room for the larger heads as AMG stuffed heat insulation between the modified firewall and the rear of the engine. A unique tubular header design was used to expel exhaust gasses at a faster and higher rate letting the engine exhale better to generate more power. These DOHC M117 engines have their own larger intake manifolds as the engine is both larger and has double the camshafts. Detailed photos of the engine bay are provided showing the AMG valve covers with “300 6.0 28” stamped on the side. A pair of spare AMG heads are included in the sale and shown in the gallery.
The seller notes the car had been stored for years until he bought the car in 2020 and has slowly been going through its systems to get it road ready. Recent services include complete ignition overhaul, fuel system overhaul, BOSCH fuel injectors, fuel regulators, filters, air bypass lines, EHA valve, coolant reservoir, new radiator, drive belts, fan clutch, and fluids. The oil and filter were replaced along with coolant. This Hammer appears to have an o-ring failure between the multi-piece heads and will need a head gasket service for it to be able to make long drives. It will drive for approximately thirty minutes before the engine temperature rises beyond the normal mark. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a re-valved four-speed 722.3 transmission from a W126 with a Torsen limited-slip differential and a reinforced rear subframe to withstand the chassis flex and reduce squat.
The Carfax report lists no accidents or damage and registration history only in California when the current owner registered the car in 2020. The seller has included printed photographs of the car when he found it in 2020 in the collection out of San Francisco a few miles from his house. Now with only 29,423 original miles, this AMG Hammer is being offered by the seller with detailed recent service records, a pair of spare AMG heads, three keys, the Barry Taylor importation sheet, tool kit, fire extinguisher, manufacturer’s literature, in-period magazine articles, fitted car cover, spare wheel, Concord CX70 head unit, and a clean California title in the owner’s name.
The seller has included the following video:
The moniker “Hammer” is arguably more legendary than the car itself. It has worked its way into car enthusiast rhetoric, for better or for worse, latching itself to everything from Monoblock wheels to quad-cam W/C126s to AMG W202s. While the term “Hammer” is loosely thrown around and perpetuates itself in conversation, very little is actually known about these cars. With about 54 Hammers ever produced world wide, it’s no wonder there's a gaping void of information about these exotics available on the internet for people to mop up – thus why people misuse the term “Hammer.”
This German market AMG Hammer was discovered in 2020 by the current owner who is a master Mercedes-Benz technician. He discovered the car in the back of a warehouse out of a Mercedes-Benz collection. Being a technician who shadowed under Barry Taylor at AMG West, he was not afraid of wrenching on a sedan that was pitted against a 288 GTO in-period by magazines. These engines are pure exotica and pulled all the engineering haymakers out of the AMG motorsport playbook. The multi-piece heads were derived from formula 1 car technology. Using the bottom end of a 5.5-liter M117 engine, AMG went to work polishing, lightening, and strengthening all components. Their purpose was to extract power and pure, raw speed. Individual oil feed lines were tapped into the heads to feed each camshaft. There are two timing chains, one spinning intake and the other exhaust. They then took this engine and shoehorned it into the W124 chassis which caused a domino effect of engineering headaches to tackle.
This requires drastic firewall modification, rear subframe strengthening as they used the rear end out of a 560-series car, and the installation of a LSD, all in the name of performance. These truly are hotrods in the purest sense of the term all done by the AMG race team out of Germany. For a four door stodgy family sedan to compete with a Testarosa, 288 GTO, Lamborghini, and 930 Turbo in comparison tests, it must have been incomprehensible to readers in the late ‘80s.
Each Hammer is unique as they were all custom built to the customer’s personal taste. This Hammer features the ridiculously comfortable and aggressive Recaro buckets not only for the front passengers but also for the rear occupants – and covered in grippy Suede! We got to chat with the Westmont AMG crew a few months ago and one of the employees told us he was able to bury the speedo at 180-mph with three of his coworkers in tow. It is uncommon for these cars to come up for auction. This is a special moment in the automotive sphere and we’re happy to debut this uncovered, never before seen AMG Hammer during Monterey Car Week for the world to see. We hope listings like these can be used to make it clearer how historically important these Hammers are to the exotic and tuning car sphere of the ‘80s which is gaining worldwide popularity.
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102 Comments
Thank you for all the congratulatory comments! Probably a good time to mention I offer photography, brokering, and reconditioning services for enthusiast cars. PM me or comment if anyone needs help listing and getting a car prepared for auction. I am Atlanta based as well. Thank you!Congratulations @Volodya103 and @stuttgart_Steel on this incredible Hammer! The legend of the AMG Hammer continues.Congrats to the winner!! :-)MB Market rocks!Congrats! Great sell and great buy......Volodya103: Time to call your Hagerty broker on his hot line!!!@Congrats to @Volodya103 ! what a race to the end! Congrats @stuttgart_Steel for the sale!@BlueridgeMB Extremely small club at that lolWhat a fight -- absolute respect to all of the bidders. Congratulations @volodoya103! Absolute killer car to have in the collection!Looks like @volodoya103 is the Big winner today, welcome to the club sir...if you're not already a Member:):)Congratulations @Volodya103 !Congratulations to all.This is fun.$695,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
Fine piece of AMG history right here! We loved these cars 40 years ago, and will love and care for them 40 years from now! We hope to see this one here at RENNtech someday - and Good Luck to bidders!It will definitely be interesting to see if the reserve will be met$690,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
Two different types of poker being played here.Well, that's a solid statement;)$690,000 bid placed by @ariok47
Got my popcorn outSuper cool example here....not many opportunities like this anymore!$650,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$650,000 bid placed by @ariok47
@Stan_Lution I've got a 199 E320 Wagon in the garage too. They're amazing. This car was mind boggling to be around seeing how different it is to a stock vehicle.$626,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
@Stan_Lution. Same here. I just need an AMG!This really brings a smile to my face. While I’m only an observer, to me this is the pinnacle of AMG. I feel honored to drive a s124 everyday.$626,000 bid placed by @ariok47
Nice to see another example with the Front and Rear Recaros, not too many of these floating around that were ordered this way. Good luck to all interested parties!$625,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$625,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
$620,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$620,000 bid placed by @ariok47
$610,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$610,000 bid placed by @ariok47
$600,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
Getting spicy 🥵$600,000 bid placed by @ariok47
$572,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$572,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
$566,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$566,000 bid placed by @ariok47
$565,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$565,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
$560,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
$560,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
$555,500 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
@Zeughausgarage The car has been repainted at some point in its life. 199 has such a fragile clear coat most of these cars painted in this color have had paintwork.$555,000 bid placed by @Volodya103
Can someone explain how the paint thickness is measured in the US? I‘m not sure regarding the unit used in the states… Is it repainted or original paint?@PatinaCollective thanks very much!@Zeughausgarage We are the partner in the US to help processing the AMG Classic certificate. We don't issue certificates, but we are the US partner to process the Conversion Certificates for US clients. We have facilitated with MKB the certification of over 100 cars already@Zeughausgarage The Patina Collective confirmed the car was real with Affalterbach. They then send a technician to inspect the car and pull the valve covers off, etc, to record the cams, stampings, etc and log it for the COA. We didn't have enough time to get a signed piece of paper. It's recommended the buyer complete this process for the COA.Incredible opportunity here! Outstanding presentation and responsiveness from @Stuttgart_Steel on a never-before-seen AMG Hammer. I spoke with MKB (@MKB_Motoren_Manufaktur) in Germany about the car and confirmed an AMG Classic Conversion Certificate can be issued for this authentic 6.0 Hammer. I guess it's too late to start my GoFundMe so best of luck to all bidding!@Stuttgart_Steel Is it correct, that you got the certificate from Affalterbach? Or do you got a certificate from thepatinacollective?@Carbine123 I am now! Too rich for my blood but sure is special!$550,850 bid placed by @ariok47
$508,055 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
@static50 Are you watching the beast?$507,555 bid placed by @Volodya103
1 hour left! I’m certain it will be a while before another Hammer hits the market. Good luck to everyone and thank you to all of the participation.$506,055 bid placed by @Zeughausgarage
@GoBoGo That was my friend Evan’s E420. We both drove out to California from Atlanta in our E-Classes for an article I’m doing for The Star (MBCA magazine). I was there with him at Bonneville in my newer quad cam E-Class. We did a 8k mile loop of the US in our cars. Crazy adventure. He was also with me on this Hammer set shooting pics of me shooting pics for another article I’m writing. Crazy correlation. Happy you were following along on our adventure!I had to go back and look to see if this was the same W124 on the salt flats and road trip LOL--the 'bright' grill proved otherwise! Time to get the popcorn ready... this is such a unicorn and the subject of many a boyhood fantasy! Between having Car & Driver, Road & Track and Autoweek ages ago (including Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories Catalogs) and reading about these from the outset, it's so cool to see one (virtually) in the flesh! An hour and a half to popcorn time!@scottiebenz It will probably be a while before DOHC heads pop up. Hugely enticing addition to the auction.The extra set of heads is really intriguing. Even without guides, valves or cams, these original castings are exceedingly rare. Even though they're used, I don't really see any electrolysis damage or corrosion. Very cool and very valuable spare parts to have on hand.As we enter the final hours of the auction, I want to note a couple of things before the hammer lands and the car goes to a new home. This is a recently discovered Hammer that has been hiding from the public eye for decades. It's rare nowadays with the advent of the internet, cameras in everyone's pocket, and the proliferation of social media that cars like these go undiscovered until they land on the market as a debut. About 30 or so W/C/S124 Hammers were made. This is one of them, hosting the ultra rare option of suede Recaros front AND rear. This is a special event. I'm around if anyone has any questions. PM me or comment and I'll get you you as fast as I can!I guess it’s worth mentioning if anyone wants an uncompressed picture gallery, PM me and I can email you the RAW files in a Google Drive. That way you can zoom in better.@PatinaCollective Thanks for the comment and as always, it was nice chatting with you guys on the phone. Glad we were able to confirm it was a real Hammer from Afflaterbach and it's a good thing that the buyer can get it certified. With our time frame, it would have been difficult to get a COA during the auction runtime.Hello everyone!, after initial research, we will be very happy to assisting the winning bidder to inspect and certify this wonderful car and get its deserved AMG Classic Conversion Certificate. Good luck to the interested bidders in winning this incredible find, and help preserving it to the archives in Affalterbach. Warm regards, Bernard$505,555 bid placed by @Supercaradvocate
@Cookingonline It’s been a wild few months to say the least. I used to work at a really high end, white glove dealer in Atlanta as an inventory manager getting esoteric sports cars like this prepped for sale and worked for Lockheed-Martin for over half a decade before that. Learned a lot over the years doing it. Decided to just do it for myself and see where it takes me with the support of all my friends and family. Absolute leap of faith into the deep end.@Stuttgart_Steel Good for you!!!! What a dream of an occupation.@Cookingonline Actively working on a website! I quit my day job about a month ago to do this full time, so still going through my checklists. Thank you for the comment — it’s really cool to see. You can follow me on Instagram @keenaneugenio and @stuttgart_steel I post everything there.I’d love to follow the cars you get if you have a website/dealership?@Luz_do_sol I appreciate the comment. Only had a few hours to put it together, but I’m getting comfortable driving/flying out and shooting cars in unknown turf. The seller was awesome however and fed me sandwiches and cookies, so I was dialed in. I watched the Hammers sell at Amelia earlier this year and got to go over them pre-auction, so that was an interesting experience. Really want to write an article on why platforms like The MB Market are better for selling these cars since sellers get to make THOROUGH listings and you get actual interaction with the comments section.Very impressive ‘Hammer’ and as we know these are definitely in rarefied field! Following this one since first listed and never had any doubts despite some of the comments herein. In fact, I have followed sellers’ auctions here and on the other site always impressed with the selections. For comparison: AMELIA ISLAND AUCTIONS 2025 1988 MERCEDES-BENZ AMG 300 E 6.0 'HAMMER Lot 136 sold for $753,000 And, from the CarandDriver Archives: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15141447/mercedes-benz-amg-hammer-archived-test-review/ Tested: 1986 Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer With reference to Richard Buxbaum, AMG of North America. @Stuttgart_Steel, my compliments on this outstanding presentation!@Ali63 What "weird stuff" are you talking about? This looks like a genuine, solid, well sorted 6L.@SwissBliss They’re CSEs. I’ll have to do some digging on the rears. I imagine finding a set like that for a rear SEC would be impossible. Not sure if they exist.$500,060 bid placed by @Smcase22
Which model Recaro are those seats? CS? CSE? Any info about the back seats would be much appreciated. I have a pair of CSEs in an SEC, just got some inspiration!$435,117 bid placed by @DCMotorWerks
I'm not usually one to talk ill of the dead, but Barry Taylor's reputation in Mercedes-Benz world does, in fact, precede him. Using the most generous qualifiers of his known business practices during the 80s and 90s, one could say they were "dubious" or "sketchy". HOWEVER.....this AMG Hammer is quite clearly NOT a car to sweat about regarding Barry's involvement in its history... Even today, you can see that sometimes the worst car dealers still end up with incredible cars in their inventory, and this was also true of Barry. There can be absolutely no doubt that this is a 100% authentic AMG Hammer. German-built, it checks every single box so far as observable authenticity markers that I know of. This is a relatively early Hammer (#12, 1987 MY), and even for that it has identifiers which further exhibit it as such. The grey suede interior has to be a full Gemballa job. IMHO, since the car was originally a Stuttgart-order, the buyer should presume that it was immediately rolled down the street to Affalterbach when new. Thankfully for the next owner, Barry merely imported this car from Germany, and it was certainly imported several years BEFORE Barry had purchased Buxbaum's remaining parts inventory and things that sketchy dealers do..... The AMG VIN stamp in the gusseted firewall is absolutely genuine, and honestly the only "Barry special" elements I can see are the door jamb sticker (173/174) and MB VIN scratched into car (photo 497), which he would have merely done to get the car road registered in California. Pross Mellon, as he was known, was a longtime RENNTech client following his experience with this Hammer that Barry imported for him. The only question about this car, to me, is how Pross learned about the AMG Hammer in the first place and decided that he wanted one... Any questions, I will check in here over the week and keep an eye on the comments streaming in.....in the meantime I will look through old magazines to see if any articles features a four-door AMG Hammer with grey suede upholstery ;)$430,030 bid placed by @BlueridgeMB
@Stuttgart_Steel Love the driving segment!Reminder that The MB Market posted the video I made. I do an underside walkaround as well as the topside. Also included is the driving video. The car felt very tight from the passenger seat and the engine has all the power. It’s shocking how quick these are. Must’ve felt otherworldly in the ‘80s.Updated photos of the extra heads have been added along with photos of the VIN plate, firewall VIN, and authentic AMG VIN. In addition the seller's ful-length video has been added including a mechanical overview and inspection.@Ali63 Just let me know how I can clear anything up. The VIN was sent to Affalterbach earlier this week, so we’re doing some historical digging on the car as we speak. We’re by no means trying to hide anything. With the world’s most experience Hammer experts in the comments, I hope we gain the trust of some of the commenters.@ProdigalPetrolHead Agreed 10-fold. This is AMG legend and those in the know should be paying attention. Hopefully most of you know me at this point but as a current Hammer-owner I'd love to congratulate the next owner and help with any questions around these rare beasts. This is one of rarer cars I've seen and the interior options haven't been replicated yet (as far as I've seen).Wanted to confirm with the knowledgeable about how this car was described. The description talks about Barry Taylor and AMG West. In the same paragraph mentions Beverly Hills Motoring and Accessories. My understanding was these were two separate business and not related to each other. Barry Taylor was an importer in the Bay Area of California while BHMA was founded by Andy Cohen in Los Angeles. I doubt they were related, like how the listing described it.@Ali63 et al. You guys should really go watch the seller's video. This might be the best presentation I've seen yet and they've been extremely transparent with the "weird stuff" as you put it. Yes it needs some mechanical love BUT this is a Hammer that hasn't seen the public market EVER as a sale offering and was rather tucked away for years. This Hammer is part of AMG history. Any serious buyer will consider sending it to @blueridgemb upon purchasing in order to find all the extra value out of the asset. I know it's rather frowned upon to discuss money but if this is cared for properly it'll likely be a 7-figure car one day. PS @RichardBuxbaum glad you made it over here to join the fun!@Youngclassicamg All concerns he raised are valid. Car def has some weird stuff going on smh.@YuraCoupe you must be getting ready to put a bid in =)@thedailyvroom @thembmarket Wow , a cool car for sure. Rear seats. Say no more! For those of you unfamiliar with The Daily Vroom you will enjoy checking it out. This beast was mentioned today!@DrAMG I’ve never sat in such aggressive rear seats before. It’s like a big hug from a suede bear. They’re so comfortable. I’ve only seen one other with rear Recaros and that was the one that sold at Amelia earlier this year. It’s so damn cool.@YuraCoupe Per the listing copy, the head gasket is compromised, so that’s where it’s going. We topped it up before doing the driving video with Zerex G-05.“The oil and filter were replaced along with coolant.” So, where is coolant because the expansion reservoir is empty.$420,060 bid placed by @Smcase22
$400,000 bid placed by @ariok47
Such a beautiful example of a Hammer. Love the Recaro rear seats. Everyone appreciates the CSE’s, which by themselves are fantastic but you rarely see the back ones changed. Good luck to the seller and buyers, this is one of the diamonds in any premerger AMG collections.Nice to see all the familiar names...$350,060 bid placed by @Smcase22
$300,000 bid placed by @ariok47
@Smcase22 You're dealing with the mega AMG nerds here. This is why this site is the best for Mercedes, especially when you have Mr. Buxbaum commenting. That's actually insane. @WDB748372 I'll ask him! @PatinaCollective Thank you for the texts today. I think we're waiting until next week when you guys hear back from Affalterbach to figure out what the next move is. @GoBoGo This is the same circumstance as when my girlfriend bought her E63 wagon. They're so rare that you just buy whatever pops up since everything is repairable with enough time and money -- the hard parts is finding one. This one has its flaws, but it's a Hammer after-all. When will the next one pop up? Just got back to the hotel. I sent some more pictures and the video link to The MB Market to upload, so stand by. They're also here in Monterey which means they're battling the worst internet known to mankind as well.@Stuttgart_Steel A bit off topic but since you mentioned the owner of this vehicle that has worked at AMG West for a number of years, I was curious if he remembers or has any photos of Barry's 210 E60 wagon? I'm in the middle of restoring that car. I understand if the owner doesn't want to communicate but maybe you might be able to facilitate any message from him. Either way I figured it's worth a shot. GLWS! [email protected]@goth_dude_abides You're into six figures, not deep into...but definitely there. We take these engines down utterly and now with all the we've learned in the last 40 years we make a number of improvements not only in the interest of performance w/o added stress, but also in terms of Reliability. Quad cam M117's really are their Own Thing. I love 'em...and to those that are convinced they Can't be reliable I just drove from Chicago back to here in Atlanta in my Hammer Coupe, 750 miles with my good friend @amg5pt4 after his flight got cancelled and mine got delayed about 8 hours. Awesome run, flawless performance from start to finish.We would be honored in assisting the auction winner to process and request a Certificate of Conversion issued by AMG Classic in Affalterbach and request authentication. Such document, beyond a piece of paper or a memento, helps put to bed any questions of authenticity about any AMG in the future. The process also adds more information about the current status and condition of the cars to the archive in Affalterbach. Herr @RichardBuxbaum also offered a very valuable picture about this wonderful car as he was directly representing the brand in America in period, knowing all the US clients and players. We are thankful for this very much, his opinion and contribution in this case asserts in the fact of the true value of this car and authenticity. Yes it might not be a perfect car, so what! it's a Hammer; a hood pad? a muffler? Even an engine overhaul do not take away of what the car is and the true German Engineering marvel designed by Herr Melcher and Herr Auftrecht. We are all part of this small community and privileged to help preserve the heritage of AMG and the other tuners of the period, and Mercedes-Benz as well. Good luck to the seller and the new caregiver, Bernard@goth_dude_abides @BlueridgeMB@BlueridgsMB What’s the cost to rebuild top end / fix the overheating issue? Approximately what should I budget for repairs to get it back to weekend cruiser?Mild adjustment. Barry Taylor neither worked for BHMA nor was a representative of AMG, however the car is real and should not deter from the cars value.I'm sure I could dig and dig and dig and maybe, sort of, perhaps find something to fault.... but at the end of the day, I don't have over $250,060 (the 60 was a nice touch ; ) so I am just going to sit and watch (and drool over this beautiful car from my childhood fantasies from Car & Driver back in the day!) What a beast! Speaking of interiors and questions of taste, there is a modified e500 on another site with Louis Vuitton door and seat trim inserts... I'll leave it at that! (I like the suede actually; would keep you in place on mountain roads or even Corkscrew since you're out in CA)The passion for Mercedes is Real!! Love it.Love the interaction so far, even if it's people trying to play detective! It's a cool car to try and figure out the story between 1991 when Barry Taylor sold it to Mr. Mellon out of Pennsylvania and 2020 when the current owner bought it. @YuraCoupe I appreciate the hard hitting comment and loved that you combed through all my pictures. Let me remind you this car sat for decades in a garage in the Bay Area. Please look at the axle boots I took pictures of. They appear to be original and show in good condition. Refer to the Cocaine Hammer and you'll see the same style clamps holding the boots. If this had 100k more miles on it, they would be cracking. Hood pads degrade with age, not just because of heat cycles. I've replaced hood pads on original 30k mile cars that I've owned -- it's literally nothing to be concerned about. It being driven in Pennsylvania, like Jono said, the roads are not pretty up there. I'm assuming it had been driven on a winter road at some point in time and that mixed with the car sitting for decades results in what we see. Cars that sit degrade arguably worse than cars that get used. The owner had to go through the whole fuel system and vapor blast the fuel tank and redo all the ignition systems to get it running. That wouldn't have happened on a car that was driven. You spotted surface level corrosion on hardware as did I. I gladly took pictures of all the defects because I am one to not fabricate a story with cars. I approach these cars scientifically as hard as it may be sometimes as a romantic. Please note in the copy when the car was discovered, the owner removed tires from 1991. This further adds to the evidence this is a low milage car. While I love the interaction and the time you put into looking through the listing (seriously, that's awesome. I put a lot of effort and time into these), I do not make up stories on cars as I have literally nothing to gain from doing so. I had five hours to interact with the car after driving across the country and to knock out a white glove listing. I was presented with facts, a car, documentation, paperwork, and got to interact with the owner who worked with Barry Taylor at AMG West for years and is a pre-merger technician. No red flags fired off during the entire interaction. The owner is a straight shooter and someone who is well respected in the sphere. The owner said the rear muffler was used from a M104 car since he couldn't find a good replacement Sebring M117 muffler since, you know... they are hard to find. The copy says "rear muffler" not the entire exhaust. The MB Market puts a lot of effort into the copy, so please do read it thoroughly. Thank you @BlueridgeMB for the comment and interaction. I'll bring you some high quality coffee beans for your coffee machine next time I see you ;)@BlueridgeMB regarding M104 - description says M104 AMG exhaust was installed. I know what is M117)I wondered how many hammer experts were gonna pop on this....:) I can only say @yuracoupe hasn't seen many, but that's OK, there aren't many to see. I looked @ photo 425, I don't see rust. I see where the tire has touched the undercoat and pulled it up in the fender well. And yes, a number of the Hammers have had their ambient temp sensors mounted there. Of note, it's typically the German built units. M104 AMG??!? This is no M104 sir, M117 DOHC. I have a 6K mile hammer here and the hood insulation died on it. I suspect yours has been changed. The modern replacement pads are not cut Quite the same, so it's a case of dealing with super-cession on parts in the modern day. Looking at all the touch and major wear points on this car, it looks the part to me. It is Dirty yes, but more so from nasty roads vs time on those roads IMHO. Zip tie on the boot is one way of making sure it's still held in place Nicely. From the factory they are glued, trying to recreate that isn't always the easiest with out making an utter Mess...One zip tie later and you're good to go. When wiring these cars for this engine/swapping over S class harnesses one often has to get into the back of that module to 2X check things. Not uncommon. As for exhaust, factory AMG parts are all mild steel, they rust out just sitting, so to see them swapped, not in the least bit surprised. TBH, the fact that as much of this system is Still intact was quite Surprising! Genuinely lending credence to the miles being Low.After studying all photos, I think that this car is not what the seller declares. Bad try to create a story. Photo 372, 388 - what is this? Photo 425 upper left corner - rust + holes on 29k miles? Photo 417, 418, 419 - amazing solution to hold shock absorber protective cap. Photo 425 - what does ambient temperature sensor is doing there? Wrong place. And there is no indicator on the IC. Mileage 29k - LOL. Even not 129k. Next: Custom mounted tail tips. Custom front exhaust part. And it has nothing to do with M104 AMG. Everything is dirty and ugly except front springs (as v8 is heavier), one steering rod and radiator. Modern plastic straps everywhere. What was the reason to change engine hood insulation on 29k miles? Mine is perfect one on 300k+ km. And why was it installed so misaligned? Why ECU plug is fixed with plastic straps?@martystein So I had a chance to think about this comment today and made a few phone calls, because I was curious myself. When I started talking to the owner of this car, I also asked the same questions about the cluster since when you think of a Hammer, you picture the red dialed 190-mph AMG cluster. I called up Blue Ridge MB and asked Jono. If you look at picture 200 in the gallery, you'll see part number 126 542 12 01 on the speedometer dial. This is indeed a Hammer cluster as the part number on this originally was 124 542 60 67, but has been changed out because of the W126 running gear and engine and transmission, etc. These clusters were custom by AMG to make them communicate with the rest of the car… kind of like the rest of the car (see the modified firewall). I helped my uncle do a M117 5.5 liter swap in his W123 and we had to do something similar. The owner also documented the mileage when he discovered the car back in 2020. The picture is in the gallery. Considering this car was owned by a Mellon family member and then owned by a Mercedes-Benz collector for decades which then sat for many, many years – it’s safe to assume the mileage is very close to accurate. I asked Hodgman about how they would calibrate these things for federalization as gray market cars and if they got them close to what they were reading when they rolled off the boat onto U.S. soil. He laughed and said who the hell knows, meaning any other market Hammer is probably not read true EXACT mileage. It’s like any air cooled or transaxle Porsche from this era. I struck up a conversation with the head EPA guy and the lead parts director of Westmont AMG when the Hammers were being built between 86-89 and they basically summed up their experience as being a lawless and chaotic world. Example: then their DOT agent would inquire about the gray market Euro headlights being destroyed, they would smash up a set and take a picture for the agent and then kick around the pieces and take some more pictures and save them for when the DOT inquired about the destruction of the Euro market parts (this extended to bumpers, etc). This was the ‘80s afterall and these dealers, both Westmont and Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories were there to make money. They would sell the headlights and bumpers under the table because people wanted them for obvious reasons. These cars were hotrods built by German rednecks that lust after power, not regulations and rules. This is why AMG and Mercedes-Benz were separate back then – see the lack of MB star on the Aero I center caps and the deleted hood ornament. This was a rascally pack of racers and troublemakers, not stodgy engineers in labcoats with LAMY fountain pens in their labcoat pockets and cokebottle glasses. Please look in detail at the gallery. I know you can’t smell or touch this thing over the internet, but the touchpoints in the cabin show it is indeed a low mileage car. Suede wears so fast if not psychotically taken care of. The seats and door panels are in excellent condition. The cabin smells excellent and clean like it was taken care of and stored well. The leather on the M38 steering wheel is in great condition with no UV damage or cracking. The needles are nice and orange with very little green fading. The pedals show well with not much use. The engine bay especially present honestly and with low miles. There’s such little crud buildup especially underneath which is an indicator of miles. I’m around classic Mercedes-Benz professionally day in, day out, and the car physically shows like a low mileage example. My YouTube video is slowly uploading as I post this comment. The internet is so clogged in Monterey right now as there’s tens of thousands of extra people here during Car Week. I am getting better pictures of the VIN on the firewall when the owner goes back to the shop. I am also working with RENNtech to certify the car as we speak and to add it to their registry. Also wanted to tackle the word “presumably” used in the copy. This is undoubtedly an AMG Hammer. You CAN’T just build one of these. Without hard documentation, it is difficult to show what MARKET it came from – that’s the question mark. The big ones were AMG Germany, Japan, Norway, Westmont, and AMG West. This being a RoW German Market car imported in 1991, it’s only appropriate that we think it’s from AMG Germany. Like I said in the opening comment, the previous owner fell into the clasps of dementia and lost all documentation – tragic. I hope my endless rambling puts some questions at ease. I consulted all of my Hammer experts and the people that built them new to help answer these questions – hope that helps!@Stuttgart_Steel Appreciate the kind words! Regarding the Hammers in general, (a shameless plug) we have reverse-engineered and re-engineered everything from the pistons to the gaskets for the 32V engines. Here at Rt we have everything to make these awesome machines run as good as they can and we offer some little updates here and there to make them more reliable and powerful. Whoever wins this awesome car, should reach to our classics department. Good luck to everyone!@ilpatino - probably much higher miles. Having a cluster swap and no documentation, I’m surprised it wasn’t listed as TMU.@LT77 These engines have a very strange cadence to them. Blindfold me and I’d be able to tell if it was a DOHC M117. They’re quite destructive and honestly sound like they aren’t running right since they’re just high strung performance engines form the ‘80s. It’s really special. Yes, video is coming soon. There’s so many people in Monterey the internet is honestly terrible and my video keeps failing to upload. I’ll be driving back to my hotel in Santa Cruz tonight where I hopefully have better luck. I have about 15 minutes of thorough footage of the car. @ChristianRGR Thank you for your input and happy to see you in here. I appreciate having a talented RENNtech engineer who is familiar with Hammers commenting. @IStenvers We’re lucky enough to have some of the most talented Hammer technicians commenting in here, so yeah while it’s a big job, you have names you can contact if you win it. The rear of the car got dialed in by the owner, so that’s an incredibly good start.Suede Lord... that is a unique interior! The gauges are standard US market, and not AMG Euro units.. kind of curious to go through the trouble to change them. Low tail, Gen 1 AMG kit -- Euro market for sure. A 38 year old M117 32-valve is no joke -- recently saw a Hammer that had been worked on by an expert and it sounded a bit funny-not-so-funny. @Stuttgart_Steel Would it be possible to have a video and sound of a cold start, idle, and a quick run through the gears?@ChristianRGR That makes it even more frustrating. This one shares a very similar interior build also build dates not too far apart to the manual Hammer that sold at Ameila this year, yet it got a AMG VIN plate and a certification.@Ali63 Not necessarily, earlier cars did not have an AMG VIN, that practice was more prevalent later on, very common to see on the M117/9 cars of the early 90s for example. Not so much on the older Hammers, albeit some Hammers did have them.29K miles? The underside of the car doesn't look like 29K miles. That being said, WOW. What a car. What an engine.all these m117 4 cam engine have the issues with the O-rings between the cilinderhead halves. it is a big job to do, because to split the heads in halve the valve guides have to come out.@Ali63 I was hanging out with him last night. I can hit him up again this morning as everyone rolls in. @gsxr It’s been diagnosed as the intermediate seals. They lie between the layers of cam carriers. I would also do head gaskets (while you’re in there) because the heads must come off for that procedure. I’ll get to more question here soon when I have the chance to type. Busy morning. Thanks for the interaction so far!looks a very nice car to me.Any additional info on the failed head gasket?@Youngclassicamg If AMG Germany built it wouldn't the original VIN be scratched out and be given an AMG VIN and specific plate?$250,060 bid placed by @Smcase22
@benzgarden its $2500 and its mainly for cars build in Germany . If Affalterbach doesn't have the records they cannot verify the car. Great looking car !@Stuttgart_Steel I believe Hartmut will be there as well. Would be nice if he could provide some commentary.$150,000 bid placed by @Ali63
@Stuttgart_Steel - I don’t think anything has been really cleared up. Barry RIP had quite questionable business practices. He could have taken a euro 300E and converted it to a hammer at AMG West. Many gray market cars around this time. Why not spend $950 for AMG Certificate before bringing to market?Does the car have an AMG vin plate ?@Jtwoods4 I think "presumably" is the safe word to use here. Like @martystein there is no hard documentation such as a COA since the previous owner got dementia and lost the original documents. The current owner tried to look through the estate for papers, but it never amounted to anything since they had a hoarding habit caused by their degenerative state. The VIN decoder says it was a German market car. AMG Germany made Hammers. This car is obviously a Hammer. The paperwork showing Barry Taylor imported the car to AMG West tells us it is a German Market Hammer. It's just like using the term "TMU" for miles on a classic car if the car doesn't have paperwork documenting the miles from day one -- same thing here. Thanks for the comment! I'm glad we got to clear that up.Good morning Everyone, will be stopping by with more frequency on this one! Should be exciting before it gets finished:) Any serious parties that want to chat about the finite and even gross points on Hammer ownership/restoration feel free to reach out directly: 404.805.1357 alt, [email protected] Otherwise I'll be stopping in/playing in the mix here with @stuttgart_steel@JTwoods4 - it’s a euro car converted to a hammer in the US. If it was an AMG Germany car, it would been offered with AMG certification. No certification is mentioned. Per forum post - AMG Classic certification process is still for cars modified by AMG in Affalterbach. Cars modified by AMG N America, Strattons in the UK, AMG Japan, AMG Canada are not covered. For AMG N America, Richard Buxbaum ex owner of AMG N America has provided letters authenticating cars done by his shop.$100,060 bid placed by @Smcase22
The first paragraph of this auction says: "This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 6.0 AMG Hammer Sedan started life as a 300E ordered through the Stuttgart Branch and presumably built by AMG Germany" Why was it "presumably" built by AMG? Is this implying that this may not be an AMG built by AMG? The word presumably means that you aren't really sure. This is either an AMG built by AMG or it's not. Seriously why are we using the word presumably? What's going on here?$5,000 bid placed by @BD450SL
This is a big one, everyone. I’ve been deep into the Hammer sphere for the past year having interacted with about 25% of worldwide production thus far. I’ve been collecting magazine articles, talking to AMG West and Westmont employees, interacting hands on with cars, engines, subframes with Hammer experts in preparation for this listing. I live in Atlanta and decided to drive out to California for Car Week (in an old Mercedes have you) – but one of the main reasons was to photograph and help sell this never before seen AMG Hammer that was once owned by Seward Prosser Mellon in 1991 (for the curious, Google him and be in awe) when Barry Taylor imported the car from Germany for him. Please read through The MB Market listing and look through the photos in the gallery. I hope it’s pretty thorough, but if you have any questions, comment or PM me. I am open for phone call conversations as well. The car is in the greater San Francisco area. A few things to note: I am at Car Week and then driving back home across the country as this auction counts down. I will be answering questions at the end of each day when I’m at hotels with internet, so please bear with me. Also I have a video shot and will be posting it when I have time to edit it and upload it when I have better internet! I will be at Legends of the Autobahn in Pebble Beach tomorrow, so PM me if you want to meet and chat about the car. This is such a special piece of automotive history that it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m honored, humbled, and also ecstatic. Shout out to @blueridgemb for holding my hand and teaching me everything he knows about these whenever I ask him any sort of question. Thank you to @sdpsupercars for also imprinting your vast knowledge into my brain and @amg5pt4 for going into the mechanical minutiae of pre-merger AMG - I've learned so so much from you all.