[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ercedes-Benz Cars is celebrating 50 years of AMG at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year. The performance brand’s anniversary will be marked with some of the most memorable cars in Mercedes-AMG’s history, including the striking new AMG GT Concept, which will be making its UK debut in the Mercedes-Benz exhibition area.
Many notable AMG models, both past and present, will be taking to the famous Goodwood Hill, including the powerful new 612 hp E 63 S 4MATIC Saloon, the stunning GT C Roadster, the incredible GT R and the mighty SLS AMG Black Series. A replica of the iconic 300 SEL 6.8 – affectionately known as the Red Pig – will also be heading up the Hill. The original Red Pig competed in the 1971 24 hour race at Spa and amazed spectators when it finished in second place overall – this large saloon beating a field of sports cars.
Reigning F1 World Champion, Nico Rosberg, will be driving his 2014 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 W05 Hybrid up the hill on Sunday, while Russian Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas will be behind the wheel on Saturday.
Alongside the stunning Mercedes-AMG GT Concept, the Mercedes-Benz Cars UK stand will feature a range of exciting models from Mercedes-AMG, including the GT R, GT C Roadster, E 63 S 4MATIC Saloon and the C 43 4MATIC Estate.
As well as cars from AMG, a small slice of Mercedes-Benz’s 131-year history will be represented by cars from Mercedes-Benz Classic, with historic race cars including the legendary 1937 W 125 ‘Silver Arrows’; 1902 Mercedes-Simplex 40 PS; 1934 W 25 (the first ‘Silver Arrow’); and two C-Class DTM cars from 1994 and 2005.
Mercedes-Benz owners will be able to access the exclusive Mercedes me Lounge, which offers refreshments and a great view of the Goodwood Hill, simply by showing their Mercedes-Benz key. Owners will also get to discover more about the benefits of Mercedes me connect, which provides connectivity between vehicle and an enabled smartphone.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is now in its 24th year and continues to be one of the biggest events in the motoring calendar. The organisers are expecting to welcome over 150,000 guests from all over the world. This year the festival runs from 29 June to 2 July.