From its 205-employee operation in Affalterbach, Germany, the engine builder, racing team, and tuning firm AMG had, by 1989, already released some of the most powerful, outrageous, and well-engineered creations. At this time, the company was nearly four years into a marquee motorsport partnership with Mercedes-Benz and growing a thriving, worldwide network of franchisees providing road cars to eager clients.

In fact, AMG and Sauber were the corporate partners by which Mercedes-Benz had clandestinely instigated in 1984, —and then officially announced in 1989, its return to the highest echelons of motorsport with the reactivation of its legendary Sportabteilung—"sports department”—and famous “Silver Arrow” racecars.

But the world-beating partnership between Mercedes-Benz and AMG, which many automotive enthusiasts and motorsport fans today take for granted, is unlikely to have ever materialized without the novel, high-performance engineering breakthroughs developed for Mercedes-Benz engines by AMG co-founder, Erhard Melcher. Melcher’s 1984 opus—the dual-overhead-camshaft cylinder-head conversion kit for Mercedes-Benz’s M117 V-8 engine not only made his reputation, but also solidified the superiority, uniqueness, and cachet of AMG’s products against the near-endless sea of aftermarket tuning shops.

This 1989 560 SEC AMG 6.0 “Wide-Body” is an exemplary representative of one of AMG’s wildest and most famous era-defining creations. The insane costs of AMG’s 6.0-liter engine package, DOHC conversion, and wide-body aero kit tacked onto the sticker price of a brand-new, flagship S-Class coupe unequivocally made this car one of the most expensive roadgoing marvels of the “Excessive Eighties.”

Presented today in the ideal color combination of Blue-Black Metallic (199U) over Anthracite leather, this 560 SEC was originally specified as a German-market order with gray leather upholstery and completed in September 1989.

At the time of this car’s production, the hottest market for AMG customer cars was Japan. Those that ended up there were created via two distinct methods. The first—as evinced by the characteristics of this car—involved the acquisition of barely-used or brand-new German-market cars and their subsequent modification by AMG in Affalterbach prior to export to Japan. The second method involved the conversion of Japanese-market cars with crate engines and parts supplied by AMG Germany to dealer group Yanase’s network of AMG Japan branches.

Approximating its build date based on the sequence number of its AMG engine unit (447), AMG likely transformed the subject lot into its current specification during late 1989 or early 1990, and then immediately exported it to Japan. It then remained in Japan until April 2016, where it was last registered in Kobe (Osaka) as “302 47-76” with approximately 87,850 kilometers (54,587 miles) showing at the time of export to the United Kingdom.

Following a brief spell in the United Kingdom, Austrian collector purchased and registered it in Bregenz as “B 8792.” In 2020, it was then acquired by the previous owner and exported from Austria with just 88,240 kilometers (54,829 miles) indicated.

Currently indicating 89,044 km (55,329 miles) at the time of cataloguing, the car’s Anthracite leather interior remains attractive and well-preserved with notable highlights including a set of multifunction Recaro Ideal seats, as well as an attractive complement of burl wood trim on the doors, dashboard, and center console. A four-spoke, leather-wrapped, AMG-branded Momo M38 steering wheel fronts an instrument suite featuring AMG’s signature 300-kph speedometer and clad in burl wood.

The car’s exterior and mechanicals remain equally correct, with AMG body numbers found on the front fenders, bumpers, and side skirts, while the DOHC valve cover stampings correctly identify the engine’s 6.0-liter displacement, sequence number, and appropriate employee ID code. Further stampings on the heads, exhaust manifolds, and throttle body are similar testaments to this coupe’s significant modifications. Even the color-matched set of OZ Aero III wheels bear 1989-date codes, and these cover uprated twin-piston front brakes and a full “AMG by Bilstein” suspension.

In preparation for the sale, this prized AMG has received routine mechanical servicing and also fitted a new set of high-performance Continental ExtremeContact 02 tires.

Unquestionably one of the most iconic and recognizable German cars of its era, this AMG-modified super-coupe offers unparalleled luxury, performance, and German reliability wrapped in a visually stunning package. Alongside RUF’s Porsche 930-based CTR Yellowbird, there is perhaps no more exemplary representative of Germany’s Eighties tuning culture than the wide-body 1989 Mercedes-Benz S-class Coupe offered here. More expensive than a Ferrari Testarossa, faster than a Lamborghini Countach, and with ample room for four, it is the quintessential Youngtimer collector car.