NüR-SPEC said:
keep in mind, back when 126s were new, mercedes didn't sell AMG models. and AMG didn't sell mercedes models. so, technically there is no such thing as a 500SEC AMG. you can call anything AMG if you want but generally it's not considered genuine unless the AMG mods were done by AMG in germany.
Yes and no.
Mercedes dealers sometimes would sell AMG parts, especially if they were near an AMG facility and had a good working relationship. But typically they'd point you to the closest AMG facility or authorized reseller/installer. You're correct in that Mercedes did not sell entire AMG-modified cars complete as new.
But AMG often did sell entire cars, new, complete with AMG mods, in addition to just selling or selling/installing parts. I had one of those cars, where they bought a new 560SEC from a Benz dealer for $80K, installed body kit/wheels/suspension/6.0 DOHC engine/custom interior/etc, and then resold the entire package, including the car, as new to the customer for $202,000. So AMG was happy to do just about anything for money (except kill people), up to and including customizing and selling the entire car, not just their modifications to it.
And the definition of "a real AMG car" was a loose at best. I think to many of us, if the car went to an AMG facility, either in Germany, Japan, North America, etc. and had extensive modifications done, it's an "authentic AMG car". Especially if it comes with paperwork showing the mods were done by AMG themselves.
But then, is it a real AMG car if it went to AMG of North America and only had wheels/tires/suspension? What about if it got exhaust and bodykit? Or is it only engine mods that count? What about if it went to an authorized AMG reseller/installer like Bruce Canepa Motorsports in Santa Cruz and got extensive AMG modifications including headers, cams, exhaust, etc and was documented as such? Is that a real AMG car?
It's kind of a moving target.
