These non-Mercedes cars have AMG engines – Carnevalestoricocivitonico

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Founded in 1967, AMG worked alongside Mercedes-Benz for several years developing racing engines and other performance upgrades. The company signed an agreement to develop vehicles for Mercedes-Benz in the early 90s. In 1999, Mercedes-Benz took a controlling stake in AMG and became its sole owner in 2005. Today, AMG acts as MB’s in-house tuner, providing a full range of high-performance AMG and AMG-lite vehicles covered by the Mercedes-Benz New Car Warranty. The brand is also known for its traditional “one man (or woman), one engine” mantra, where each of the most powerful high-performance engines is constructed by a single craftsman.

But Mercedes-Benz-AMG’s role has not been limited to simply powering internal vehicles of all types with the best Mercedes-AMG engines ever made. Beyond that corner of the business, AMG has long been an engine supplier to automakers in many different places, from Japan and Italy to the UK, Germany and the US. Here are six non-Mercedes cars that use Mercedes-AMG engines, in chronological order of their production.

The Isdera Imperator is an extremely rare AMG supercar

The Isdera Imperator was a passion project designed and created by Eberhard Schulz, who landed a job in Porsche’s styling and concept department by driving up in his own customized exotic car in 1970. After a stint at Porsche, Schulz later allied himself with renowned tuner Rainer Buchmann, who forms the company B&B GmbH & Co Auto KG. Together they created the gull-winged CW 311 concept car. The car was presented to Mercedes who decided on volume production but were willing to supply engines and other parts to facilitate further development.

Eberhard left B&B in 1982 and created Isdera, intending to put the CW 311 into limited production as the Isdera Imperator 108i. Two years later, the Imperator was introduced. A total of only 30 units were produced from 1984 to 1993.

The engines used in the Imperator 108i included AMG-modified Mercedes-Benz V8s, which went from a 5.6-liter version with 390 horsepower to a 6.0-liter version with 420 horsepower (more powerful than the rare AMG Hammer). These engines drove the Imperator’s rear wheels through a five-speed ZF gearbox. The manufacturer estimated its zero to 60 mph performance in 5.1 seconds, with a top speed of 175 mph.

(Featured image by Alexander Migl via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and peeled | CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mitsubishi Galant AMG mixed JDM and European ideas

The 1989-91 Mitsubishi Galant AMG was a collaboration between Mitsubishi Motor Corporation and AMG, which took place shortly before Mercedes-Benz and AMG sealed their vehicle development agreement. This car was actually the second collaboration between these companies, with AMG having previously done an appearance package (without performance upgrades) for Mitsubishi’s Debonair sedan. The Galant AMG provided a higher level of performance combined with some exclusive interior and exterior features.

AMG modified the Galant’s 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine. The result was an increase in horsepower from 144 to 170, with a redline at 8,000 rpm. The exterior was treated to an AMG body package that included sill extensions, more aggressive front and rear bumpers, along with a spoiler on the trunk lid and AMG badging all around. Inside, leather seats plus a wooden gear lever and door trim gave a European feel.

While the Mitsubishi Galant AMG was limited to only 500 units over three years of production and was a JDM-only model, a few are said to have reached Germany.

The Pagani Zonda used several AMG engines

The Pagani Zonda was Pagani’s first production vehicle. Introduced in 1999, it has technically not been in production or years, with the last example on the road (chassis #140, “Arrivederci”) delivered in 2019. The car’s run included both street-legal versions and Zonda R models designed for the track. Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta, one of the most tuned variants, is registered as one of the the most expensive hypercars ever made.

Horatio Pagani worked with Mercedes-Benz-AMG from the start to supply the engines that power his vehicles. The Zonda had a variety of AMG-tuned V12 engines over the years, starting with a 6.0-liter version that produced 389 hp in the early Zonda C12 models. Chassis #140, the Zonda Arrivederci, has a 7.3-liter Mercedes-AMG V12 with 789 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque.

In addition to the Zonda, Pagani also makes the Huayra (since 2012) and the Utopia (unveiled in 2023), both motivated by powerful Mercedes-AMG V12 engines. Pagani currently produces just 50 cars a year, each one hand-built to the owner’s specifications, at a cost of several million dollars each.

The Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 struggled to find fans

The 2005-08 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 is one of the strangest cars ever built by Chrysler – a love child of DaimlerChrysler’s “merger of equals” that turned out to be anything but. The SRT-6 model of the Crossfire was the high-performance version, built on the R170 platform of the previous generation Mercedes-Benz SLK. Built in Germany by Karmann, the top-of-the-line Crossfire SRT-6 was mechanically similar to the Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG. Crossfires were available as both coupes and convertibles.

The hand-built AMG engine in the Crossfire SRT-6 was a 3.2-liter, supercharged, intercooled V6 rated at 330 horsepower. The only transmission was a five-speed automatic. Zero to 60 mph happened in 5.1 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 13.5 seconds at 107 mph, according to Car and driver testing.

The Crossfire SRT-6 featured a performance-tuned exhaust system, stiffer suspension, upgraded dampers, 15-spoke Michelin Pilot Sport tires, 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels, and four-wheel ventilated discs. Exterior details included a chin spoiler and large fixed rear spoiler. Inside, the SRT-6 got Nappa leather/Alcantara seats and a 200 mph speedometer (top speed was limited to 158).

It was the first Chrysler to sport the SRT badge (it had only been seen on Dodges up to that point), and the reception was pretty cool. The lack of a manual transmission likely hurt its street cred.

The Aston Martin Vantage is an AMG-powered beast

The Aston Martin Vantage is one of the newer vehicles to have a Mercedes-AMG engine under the hood. The AMG V8 was also introduced around the same time as an alternative to Aston’s V12 in the DB11, and it has been the primary engine offered in the redesigned Vantage, with some limited V12 exceptions.

Although Aston Martin has designed its own V8 engines in the past, the reality of their low volume (just 6,620 cars sold in the 2023 financial year), increasingly difficult emissions standards and Aston’s current financial problems Aston Martin’s switch to Mercedes-AMG engines a no-brainer. Mercedes is also a partner in the company.

The latest Vantage V8 features a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged AMG-tuned engine that’s even more powerful than the original version that debuted in 2019. Starting at 503 horsepower through 2024, the latest 2025 Vantage is rated at 656 horsepower—the result of revised camshafts, new turbochargers and an upgraded cooling system. Aston has estimated a zero-to-60 time of 3.4 seconds for its new V8 Vantage, with a top speed of 202 mph.

Another current Aston Martin model to come with a Mercedes-AMG engine is the DBX 707 SUV, which for 2025 has a 697-horsepower Mercedes-AMG V8.

The Lotus Emira uses a 4-cylinder AMG engine

Lotus Emira 2022-24 is Lotus’ last ICE vehicle. Following on from models such as the Elise, Exige and Evora, the mid-engine Emira takes styling cues from its EV supercar sibling, the Evija. Still built at the original Lotus factory in Hethel, England (electric cars are built in China by Lotus’s latest owner, Geely), the Emira shows what can be achieved with a sufficient development budget.

While the Emira started with a supercharged, 400-horsepower Toyota-based V6 as its standard engine, the latter incorporated a Mercedes-AMG turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. But as the smaller-displacement, tax-efficient engine option, the AMG mill has been tuned to 360 horsepower from the 416 used in the CLA AMG, so it won’t boost the Emira’s V6. An increase to 400 horsepower has been introduced for 2025 in some markets.

There is no manual option with the Mercedes-AMG, just an AMG eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. While the engine and transmission come sealed from the factory, Lotus adds its own exhaust system. With the AMG four, the Emira does zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 171 mph.