Speculation as to precisely why (and when) Tobias Moers was chosen to replace Andy Palmer at Aston Martin will be with us for months yet. But the facts are in no doubt: Moers will leave his role as Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Mercedes-AMG, to take up the CEO position at Aston Martin Lagonda from August 1st.
Any way you dice it, it is big news. Car companies prefer their new rulers to be coronated in the smoothest circumstances possible; often promoting from within, and well under the radar of most buyers. Palmer's departure was broadsheet fodder, and Moers will likely enjoy the attention of the British press for awhile yet. At any rate, he is accustomed to the spotlight. Moers' AMG career stretches back to 1994 and the birth of the AMG as we know it.
Following a launch at the Frankfurt show in 1993, the C36 AMG went on sale in '94 the first product developed under the Mercedes-AMG 'cooperation contract' signed in 1990. It meant that AMGs would be sold in Mercedes dealers for the first time, ushering in the era which now sees the entire MB range - or so it seems - including an AMG add-on somewhere.
In 1999, when AMG was fully absorbed into the Daimer AG behemoth to create Mercedes-AMG GmbH, Moers' was given "overall responsibility for the main production series of the AMG brand." From 2002 is where things really get going, though, the job title now far too big and important for a business card: "head of full-vehicle development and... responsible for the development of all Mercedes-AMG model series". He joined the executive board in 2011 and became AMG CEO in 2013.
You don't need us to tell you that AMG has undergone a fairly drastic transformation in that time, from affiliated tuner to making McLaren-baiting in-house Mercedes. Attributing responsibility for any one car to an executive is always a tricky business, but there's no disputing the fact that Moers was in the room for every significant decision since at least 2002 - and that makes his legacy mountainous, and worthy of a gut check. Here, for posterity, are the PH pick of the best.
In 2002 the brand flagship was a C32 AMG, a fairly forgettable Mercedes saloon or estate that couldn't really compete with the finesse of an E46 M3 or the thunderous appeal of a V8-powered Audi S4. Soon enough that was gone, replaced by the 5.4-litre C55 AMG; then, in 2007 a new C-Class was launched and with Moers safely in charge of full-vehicle development, the naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 C63 AMG arrived. Had he done nothing else in 25 years, the W204 would still stand out. Like if the Beatles had only recorded Sgt. Pepper.
There's precious little left to say about the W204-generation of C63, so lauded has it been for the past 13 years. By combining traditional, big-cube AMG charm with sharp good looks and a chassis able to contain it, Mercedes created a 21st century icon. Sure, in extremis the contemporary M3 still had its number, but it was very hard to care when you perched behind the M156 - AMG's first in-house engine - crying and laughing at the same time.
That this '63 then spawned specials like the DR520, 507 Edition and the utterly sublime Black Series only furthered its enviable reputation. With a four-cylinder C63 apparently on its way and with the W204 now available from £15k, expect its stock to rise in the not too distant future. If we were Moers, we'd drive one into Gaydon's cramped car park on day one. Meet the new boss.
With more than a decade under the bridge, it's easy to forget just how massive the SLS was for AMG. Yes, there had been a rich assortment of SL, SLK and CLK cabrios - and mega engines to power them - but the tuner had never been trusted with a ground-up design before; let alone a bespoke and very expensive sports car.
With a pleasing amalgamation of the old-school (gullwing doors, most notably) the modern (an all-aluminium platform, double wishbones at each corner and a dual-clutch gearbox) and that stonking 6.2-litre V8 in a more powerful guise than it had ever been seen before, the SLS was brooding with purpose. AMG didn't even bother to make it objectively beautiful - the stiff ride and sheer size came in for criticism, too - but it had the sort presence which so often eludes modern cars.
Then, it just got better and better. The standard SLS stunned with its grip, traction and performance; the Roadster replaced the gullwing drama with the sensory overload of an open-air V8; and then there was the Black Series a car that unequivocally proved the depth of talent, and obsessive attention to detail, present in modern-day AMG. The 6.2 was making more than 100hp per litre (and revving to 8,000), more carbon meant less weight, and it turned that broad-shouldered, belligerent stance up to pant-wetting levels. The SLS was truly a watershed moment for the company - had it failed, it would have sat on the CV like a charcoal smudge. But with the standard car still worth more than £100,000 a decade later, and a Black Series anything up to £750k. is testament to the vision of its creators, Moers among them.
From the sublime to, well, whatever a twin-turbo V12 in a G-Class counts as. Because ridiculous would sell it short. First introduced in 2012 and said to incorporate "everything the performance hungry fans of the off-road icon have dreamed of", the G65 is here as proof of AMG's (and, by extension, Moers') willingness to dabble in the shamelessly silly end of performance cars. This is crucial: Palmer recognised that it was occasionally appropriate to launch a phantasmagoria grenade (Project Dreadnought anyone?) to keep things interesting. Aston Martin doesn't have much spending money - but it can afford to sometimes do things differently. It must.
The G65, by any metric, was a truly absurd motor vehicle: for the 2017 Final Edition, its twin-turbo, 6.0-litre V12 was rated at 630hp (!) and 737lb ft, powering all four wheels through a seven-speed automatic. The result was a G-Class that could be hurled to 62mph in 5.3 seconds and hit the figurative brick wall at a limited 143mph, yet still able to ford through two feet of water, conquer breakovers of 22 degrees and forge a path, essentially, wherever on the planet you might deem fit. Whether any buyer could stomach the prospect of £300k off-roader actually leaving the garage is another matter; the most important thing is that the G65 was signed off on Moers' watch. And for that we'll always be happy.
In a way, the A45 was like the SLS - insomuch as AMG was putting its reputation on the line. Sure, it hadn't built the A-Class, but it hadn't previously done a hot hatch either. And the A45 was all about conquest customers - people who liked the C63 AMG very much indeed, but weren't among the founding members of OPEC. Consequently, the A45 couldn't be phoned in; under its new CEO, the brand went all in on the idea of a four-cylinder C segment car.
Now, we'll be the first to admit that the AMG A-Class wasn't the most tactile or engaging of hot hatches - but we'd also remind you that its direct rivals weren't overstocked with dynamic talent either. What it proved was that AMG could build a car - and a compact engine - as explosive as anything powered by a V8. And with a mercilessly composed chassis, peerless brakes and abundant traction the A45 was devastatingly fast across ground. The message was abundantly clear: if AMG couldn't drive round the opposition, it would simply power over them. A limited-slip diff for the front axle was a welcome option come facelift time, too.
Moreover, it's worth mentioning that the firm did not rest on its mega hatch laurels; AMG has now entirely reworked the A45 and while it's still no looker, the fun has now been located, along with an even more berserk engine and a fine chassis. In 2020, Audi and BMW will be going some to match it - and this from just AMG's second attempt at a hot hatch...
The AMG heartland - that of a big Mercedes saloon with as much V8 inside as could fit - hadn't changed a great deal up to the introduction of the W213 E63. In 1998, an E55 AMG had a 5.4-litre V8, rear-wheel drive and more power than was probably necessary; 15 years later, an E63 AMG had... a 5.5-litre V8, rear-wheel drive and more power than was probably necessary. Forced induction had muscled its way in by that time, but the point was evidently clear: certain things in the AMG hierarchy didn't need to be meddled with, and the E-Class was one of them.
It must've been with some degree of trepidation, then, that the current E63 was approached. It was four-wheel drive for the first time, the engine was smaller than it had been in decades, and it wasn't just the die-hards who were concerned that Mercedes' fondness for mood lighting and social media influencers might have diluted their hero.
We needn't have worried. The M178 'hot-V' V8 was more potent than ever, the 612hp 'S' outdoing even the AMG GT R, and the 4Matic+ was no impediment whatsoever to fun: assured and confidence inspiring when required, full-on AMG lunatic when not. Yes, even as a wagon. With the exception of an overly firm ride on air suspension that almost feels now like a Moers' trademark, the E63 was a resounding success, more than a match for BMW and Audi - and remains so even as the facelift approaches. It was so good that it spawned a spin-off: the equally lovely and much better looking GT 4-door coupe. That car is ridiculously expensive, of course; early E63s, meanwhile, have begun to dip below £50k.
Quite simply one of the most exhilarating performance cars of the past few years, and a fitting finale to Moers' tenure (because we're going to ignore creations like the GLB35 and GLE63 Coupe - call it poetic licence.) The GT had shown signs of greatness since its 2014 launch, without ever truly delivering a world-beating AMG sports car we'd hope for.
The Pro was, eventually and quite expensively, that car. The engine and gearbox were left alone - they didn't need any tinkering - the focus instead on placing the driver right at the centre of the action like all the best road racers. Even for new-school, Moers-helmed AMG, the Pro represented another level of intensity: manually adjustable coilovers (in a Mercedes!), a rose-jointed rear axle, forged wheels, ceramic brakes, proper aero and a 7:04 'ring lap.
Yet, somehow, it wasn't too much for the road, even if there is no mistaking a Pro for a standard GT. Like the Longtail McLarens and RS Porsches, stripping away the excess and ruthlessly doubling down on the chassis dynamic makes every journey an event - you're just so much more involved in the process. By introducing only a sliver more compromise to the GT experience but increasing the excitement ten-fold, the Pro is an absolute triumph of an AMG flagship.
Now seems like an apposite time to mention that the Aston Vantage shares an engine with the AMG GT; might Moers be tempted to resurrect the GT8 for a similar experience, a real crowd-pleaser to kick-start his time in charge? Certainly we're hoping our guarded optimism turns into genuine excitement in short order, assuming the short-term problems can all be safely put to bed. Either way, Moers formidable on-paper reputation precedes him.
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