They are very few people who don’t aspire to have their very best of everything in life. Obviously, many people may be constrained by their budget and even the availability of certain items. One should remember that the wealth of England in the Middle Ages was basically built on trade. The adventurous merchant ships that crossed the seas, going west to the New World, or around the Horn of Africa to the Orient would come back with amazing spices, precious silk cloths and even that new exciting product, tobacco. No one is really quite sure who first brought the first shipment of the strange dark leaf back to the UK, but it quickly became extremely popular. So popular, that it was decided that any adventurous youth that wanted to start a new life in the New World could go to the American colonies and help cultivate tobacco.

Few cars have the prestige and reputation of AMG

Image attributed to Flickr.com WoogyChuck

The first major plantations were created by Lord Maryland, in the area that is now known as the state of Maryland. Demand in Europe remained insatiable, but it was mostly reserved for the nobility and the upper-class. That trend remains true to this day, but not for tobacco. The very best watches, the most finely tailored suits, handcrafted shoes and other items cost more than just traditional items of the same type. To a large extent, that is also true for cars. The Japanese first made a name for themselves by producing cars that while not exactly luxurious, or even necessarily reliable, were very inexpensive. Other manufacturers, priding themselves on the reputation they had built over decades, opted not only to create higher-quality cars, but even special versions of some of the more popular models.

A Name Synonymous with High-Performance

If there is one name which gets the blood flowing in any car enthusiast, it is AMG. There is arguably no other specialty brand within a car manufacturer’s line that is as synonymous with high-performance as those three letters. It all started out innocently enough, just under 40 years ago with two car enthusiasts deciding to create high-performance versions of various Mercedes cars, both for racing and for high-speed motoring. While the initials are quite well known, not many people know exactly what they stand for. It is actually quite simple. One partner’s name was Aufrecht, the other was Melcher and they set up shop in the town of Grossaspach. There you have it: AMG.

Nothing Succeeds like Success

What started as a small business fuelled by pure passion for automotive excellence has in just a few short decades turned into a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz and is known to produce some of the finest cars in the world. The company, which was initially completely independent from the car manufacturer, created such an impact in the automotive world that Mercedes decided to acquire it. When this happened in 1999, it greatly increased the firm’s ability to produce the highest quality cars, as they could now count on the extensive manufacturing expertise and financial resources of the parent company. As a result, the range of cars that they produce has expanded dramatically, but all have the trademark high-performance and extreme good looks that they have always been known for.

If one demands only the best from their automotive experience, there are very few options like this unique specialty brand from Mercedes-Benz.