08.05.2025The five meter long racing car wrote history

When the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG entered the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 1971, no one would have expected that this over five-meter-long luxury road cruiser would soon wrote motorsport history. Upgraded by AMG, the race car with its 6.8-liter V8 engine was competing at a time when AMG itself was still a small, independent tuning company – without official factory status, but with a great deal of passion. AMG transformed a wrecked car into the 300 SEL racing sedan, now known as the "Red Pig." In addition to its appearance at Spa, the 300 SEL was entered in other races that same year.

Two of these appearances are now reflected in two models, faithfully reproduced in scale 1:18 by the label WERK83. Both models are of the usual high quality and feature the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG with starting number 38 (season finale at Hockenheim in 1971) and starting number 12 (12 Hours of Paul Ricard in 1971). The yellow Mercedes in the familiar "Hannen-Alt" livery was also driven by Hans Heyer at the season finale at Hockenheim. The model with starting number 12 is silver and was driven by José Dolhem, Klaus Behrmann, and Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the 12 Hours of Paul Ricard. Both models impress with finely crafted details – from the wide front end to the characteristic rims – and bring a piece of racing legend into the display case.

What began as an experiment became an overnight sensation: The large, striking AMG-Mercedes repeatedly prevailed against significantly lighter and more agile competitors. The motorsport world was amazed, and AMG was suddenly on everyone's lips. The nickname "Red Pig" was born – an affectionate blend of respect and disbelief at the sheer power of this vehicle.

Unfortunately, the story of the Red Sow ended just as quickly as it began, in 1972. The regulations, which limited the engine displacement of the vehicles used to a maximum of five liters, disqualified the 300 SEL. The original vehicle used at Spa in 1971 is unfortunately not in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, as many assume. The French defense company Matra bought the vehicle at the time because they were looking for a vehicle capable of accelerating to 200 kph within 1,000 meters to test aircraft tires. After that, the trail of the Red Sow disappeared. Today, experts believe it was scrapped in the late 1980s. Therefore, all vehicles seen at trade fairs today are replicas of the original, with varying degrees of detail.

Mercedes-Benz AMG 300 SEL 6.8 #12 12h Paul Ricard 1971 WERK83, RRP €79.95, item-no.: W18030004

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 #38 Final of the Season Hockenheim 1971 H. WERK83, RRP €79.95, item-no.: W18030003

Products

	Mercedes-Benz AMG 300 SEL 6.8 #12 12h Paul Ricard 1971 Dolhem, Behrmann, Jabouille 1:18 WERK83	57,56 €
	Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 #38 Final of season Hockenheim 1971 H. Heyer 1:18 WERK83	71,96 €