Mercedes Reimagines Its Wildest Race Car as a Modern Luxury Sedan

Der Rote Sau

When building race cars, it’s ideal to use something lightweight and compact. You want something that’s agile and light on its feet, and bulk easily blunts performance and potential. That said, the Germans have an odd habit of turning their barges into tracked weapons.

Audi once raced the sizable V8 in DTM and actually beat flyweights such as the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz 190E. BMW, its South African division at least, took to the track with the extremely rare 745i. As for Mercedes-Benz, it didn’t officially race the S-Class’ predecessor; instead, AMG took the 300 SEL 6.3, bored the engine to 6.8 liters, and won the 1971 24 Hours of Spa.

Finished in a bright shade of red, it was nicknamed rote sow or red sow, but pretty much everyone who speaks English calls it the Red Pig. While people wax lyrical about it, it actually scored just one win, but its sheer presence meant it’s still being talked about to this day. The Red Pig also helped put AMG on the map and, well, look where we are today.

Reimagining the Icon

The Red Pig’s impact and legacy are still felt in Mercedes-Benz’s motorsports efforts. Back in 2021, several of the company’s race cars wore that specific shade of red, but in smaller models, of course. However, since the car was retired in 1972, no other large Mercedes-Benz sedan has worn those colors.

That didn’t stop former Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener from drumming up a modern interpretation, though. He recently dug through his personal archives and shared his reimagined take on the Red Pig. It’s safe to say that it isn’t just the new-look S-Class with bright red paint.

Retrofuturistic

Wagener’s Red Pig doesn’t just take cues from the W109 300 SEL. Of course, the stacked headlights and upright grille are a nod to the original model, but we also see some lines from the W112 300 SE Coupe. Then again, both appear similar at a passing glance, even if they were entirely different vehicles.

There’s a bit of a hot rod vibe going on with the chopped roof, and the wide shoulders appear inspired by the smaller W120 ‘Ponton’ models. As for the rear, it looks rather, er, interesting. The top half is almost flat, like the W109, but done in a way that also combines elements from the Ponton. Also, those low tail lights are a nod to the past.

Of course, the (virtual) car is finished in the same shade of red from the ’70s. Even the placement of the decals has been replicated for maximum effect. One thing we’d like to see in real-life are the wheels. Those classic five-spoke AMGs would look great on modern models.

Where is the Original Red Pig Now?

Unlike most race cars, the Red Pig’s fate was rather tragic. New regulations at the time meant the car was forced out of motorsport. Blame it on engine size restrictions, but its 6.8-liter was deemed too large. It didn’t help that finding tires for it was a challenge. With no other series to enter it with, AMG was left with a car it couldn’t use.

Instead of keeping it, the company sold it to Matra. It was then stretched out, and its floor was cut open to serve as a test bed for aircraft equipment such as landing gear. The car’s actual fate is still unknown, but it was reportedly scrapped in the ’90s. An unglamorous end to a race-winning car.

The car you see touring around is actually a mere replica of the race winner. Still, that doesn’t diminish the legacy of the car. Without the Red Pig, AMG could’ve just become another aftermarket company for Mercedes-Benz, and the idea of sports car-baiting luxury sedans might have picked up by someone else, or worse, might not have taken off.