HWA hints at new W124-inspired mega-project

We've already seen what HWA has done with a 190; here's what its take on a Hammer could be...

By Matt Bird / Friday, 23 October 2026 / Loading comments

Fair to say that HWA announced itself to the world pretty emphatically with the Evo. Those in the know were already fully aware of the company’s achievements, having built so many incredible Mercedes racers over the years, but there’s nothing like a wide-bodied homage to one of Benz’s motorsport icons to really announce yourself to the wider enthusiast community. The Evo achieved that, and then some, with both road and track variants.

Sufficiently buoyed by that experience, now it looks like HWA is back for more. While only a teaser silhouette image for now, it’s pretty clear to anybody with some knowledge of old Mercs what’s being cooked up: HWA has a vision of the Hammer it wants to build. Or maybe a 500E. It’s not quite clear for the moment, though the potential is enormous: the W124 era is as loved as the 190E of the same time as peak Mercedes, and a V8 seems guaranteed.

That was, after all, the USP of both Affalterbach’s Hammer and the Mercedes-Porsche 500. Where an M5 had to make do with a straight-six, the eight-cylinder Mercs saved to make the BMW look a bit puny - and so the reputation of big, bad Benzes as the ultimate ‘bahnstormers began to be established.

All pre-merger AMGs are highly prized at the moment, and none more so than the Hammer; the 500E has been worth more than the contemporary M5 for a while. A great time for HWA to capitalise on the model’s popularity, then.

Especially with the perfect V8 available. While the fitment of a turbo V6 to the Evo initially looked a bit strange (given how famously four-cylinder the homologation 190s were), the AMG M177 turbo V8 that’s powered all sorts of ‘63s over the past decade or so sounds ideal. It’s hard not to get a bit ahead of yourself when presented with a W124 silhouette and the HWA badge.

For what it’s worth, HWA suggests that the new car represents ‘revisiting another extraordinary chapter of our engineering heritage.’ Which would lend some credence to the Hammer idea, for sure. The latest HWA will stay ‘true to its origins while exploring the possibilities of modern technology, a familiar idea taking on an entirely new form.’ Given what HWA has already created, and the inspiration the W124 could provide, it’s safe to say that expectations are very high indeed.