First Joint Project Between Mercedes And AMG Turns 25: Happy Anniversary C36 AMG!

On September 9, 1993, Mercedes unveiled to the world the C36 AMG, the first car to be jointly developed by the three-pointed star and AMG.

The two companies decided to cooperate on the development of high-performance, series-production models in 1990, and three years later the first product of their collaboration was ready.

The two companies used a C280 as the basis of the C36 AMG but everything on it was significantly revised; in fact the engine was created out of the 3.2-liter straight-six M104 unit used in the W124 E320.

AMG’s engineers upped the bore from 89.9 to 91mm and the stroke from 84 to 92.4mm in order to increase the capacity to 3.6 liters but that was just the start. They also added the crankshaft from the OM605 3.5-liter diesel, which got its counterweights turned and the shaft rebalanced. Pistons were custom made, the intake camshafts got modified valve timings, the exhaust ports were extended and the list goes on.

The final result was a 3.6-liter straight-six engine that produced 276hp (280PS) and 284lb-ft (385Nm) of torque. Early cars were paired to a four-speed automatic transmission but later on, Mercedes replaced it with a five-speed unit. 0-62mph (100km/h) took 6.7 seconds, which sounds not that fast but for the era, the C36 AMG was quite impressive.

It was the start of AMG’s modern era, with the C36 AMG selling more than 5,200 examples up until it was replaced by the V8-powered C43 AMG in late 1997. Some might say that the V8 model was the sweeter car of the two (it was certainly the faster), but others will tell you that the first modern AMG is the one that feels more special.