One to Buy: ex-Joseph Galdi II 1988 Mercedes-Benz W124 Coupe AMG Hammer 6.0
/
Having plumbed a 5.6-litre dual overhead cam 32 valve V8 into the W124 E-class in 1986, AMG went on to offer an even more epic 6-litre 385bhp version from 1987. Thanks to their status as the fastest four-seat road cars available during at the time, these wickedly expensive Sedans, Coupes and Station Wagons became arguably AMG’s most iconic creations of the pre-Mercedes-Benz merger.
In addition to builder-come-distributor agencies in Japan and England where cars were assembled locally to reduce import taxes, during early 1981 AMG founder, Hans Werner Aufrecht, partnered with Richard Buxbaum of Classic Motors in Westmont, Illinois, to form AMG North America. Buxbaum in turn joined forces with Andy Cohen's Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories to handle West Coast distribution.
Between 1987 and 1991, AMG North America produced just four copies of the 6.0 Hammer in Coupe form, only one of which was equipped with the handsome moulded rear spoiler: chassis WDBEA50D7JA624567.
Ordered new through Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories by Tucson-based financier, Joseph Galdi II, this uniquely appointed car is being offered out of Lilburn, Georgia, as part of RM Sotheby’s June Sealed sale, bidding for which opens on the 17th of this month.
Following Galdi’s commission, chassis ‘624567’ (then a standard 300 CE) was sourced from RBM Atlanta on December 19th 1987. On arrival at AMG North America, the car was completely dismantled and rebuilt the from the ground up.
Chassis enhancements included a custom firewall and engine mounts, reinforced subframes with torque arms, an uprated brake system with four-piston calipers, Bilstein dampers and AMG’s 17-inch Aero I wheels. The battery was moved to the trunk and the electronics were reworked as well. Mechanically the car received a hand-built 6-litre V8 with AMG Sebring exhaust system, a revised driveshaft, an upgraded 722.3 transmission, a limited-slip differential from the W126 S-Class and a 2.82 rear axle ratio.
Cosmetically, chassis ‘624567’ was equipped with AMG’s body coloured aero kit. Inside, electric heated Recaro Classic sport seats were joined by a set of AMG gauges and a high end Nakamichi audio system. All told, the final bill came in at substantially more than a brand new Ferrari Testarossa or Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary.
During his seven years with chassis ‘624567’, Joseph Galdi frequently used the car for high speed runs to Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Tijuana, and Phoenix. It also appeared in the first edition of Road & Track’s Exotic Cars Quarterly where the verdict was: “in its balance of speed, handling, comfort, and build quality, the AMG Hammer Coupe has no rivals… this is a car that begs to be driven hard; the return is sheer pleasure.”
Joseph Galdi retained chassis ‘624567’ until 1995. It then spent the next 15 years with Mercedes-Benz collector Aaron Ruskin in Canoga Park, California. After a six-year sojourn with a Manitoba-based collector of German sports cars, the Hammer was acquired by pre-merger AMG specialist. Jonathan Hodgman of Blue Ridge Mercedes in Lilburn, Georgia, with whom it has resided ever since.
Having been the subject of more than $160,000 expenditure in recent years, chassis ‘624567’ heads to auction in superb condition throughout. Importantly, it is accompanied by a documented history from the original commission back in December 1987.
