Mercedes-Benz 300E AMG 5.6 Hammer (W124)

The Mercedes-Benz 300E AMG Hammer stands as an immortal icon of automotive audacity, the machine that propelled an independent tuning shop in Affalterbach onto the global stage. Conceived in 1986 before AMG became an official corporate subsidiary, the Hammer began as a standard W124 executive saloon stripped to its bare bones and re-engineered with relentless motorsport focus. AMG engineers discarded the factory inline-six and shoehorned in an enlarged 5.6-liter (and later 6.0-liter) M117 V8 crowned by their proprietary, hand-cast 32-valve dual-overhead-cam cylinder heads. Pumping out 355 to 375 horsepower and over 400 lb-ft of torque, the Hammer obliterated contemporary supercars, blasting past 186 mph to become the fastest four-door sedan on earth. Built across sedan, widebody coupe, and wagon bodystyles, the Hammer remains the definitive pre-merger muscle car.