AMG is rightfully considered the efficiency arm of Mercedes-Benz, even going again to the Seventies earlier than the mothership took management of the little tuner store. However for a quick second in time, rival German automaker Porsche helped develop and build a Mercedes-Benz efficiency automotive. It was the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500 E, and it is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary.

The five hundred E was primarily based on the W124 era of the venerable E-Class, however it was a low-volume, high-performance mannequin that Mercedes wanted assist to construct as a result of a wider physique would not match down its meeting line. The timing was proper for Porsche, which was in monetary bother, so the venture labored out effectively for each automakers.

Porsche was accountable for turning the W124 E-Class right into a V-8-powered sport sedan and for a lot of the automotive’s construct course of. To commemorate the automotive’s thirtieth birthday, Porsche produced two movies that includes two of the engineers who labored on the venture, Michael Hölscher, venture supervisor improvement, and Michael Mönig from prototype administration.

To show the W124 right into a efficiency touring sedan, Porsche engineers reworked a lot of the physique. The brand new physique was 2.2 inches wider than the usual E-Class, and it featured completely different bumpers with distinctive wings. The cowl and engine compartment had been modified to suit the overhead-cam 5.0-liter V-8 from the Mercedes SL 500. Air flowed into the engine compartment by means of the gaps across the headlights, and the consumption needed to be modified and insulated as a result of it created an excessive amount of noise. The entire space beneath the hood was reconfigured to suit the bigger engine, and each engineers mentioned it was an arduous course of within the days earlier than CAD. In its remaining kind, the five hundred E made 322 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque that would launch it from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds on its approach to a prime velocity of 155 mph.

Porsche engineers additionally moved the battery to the trunk for higher weight distribution, lowered the automotive 0.9 inch, modified the middle tunnel for a brand new exhaust, and put in greater brakes. Each 500 E was a four-seater as a result of the massive rear differential sapped house for a center rear seat.

The E 500 debuted on the Paris Motor Present in 1990 and manufacturing started that 12 months. The construct course of for the 500 E was sophisticated. Mercedes offered physique components to Porsche, which assembled the physique with extra components it made. The physique then went again to Mercedes for paint, and returned to Porsche for remaining meeting. The method took 18 days, and Porsche constructed a complete of 10,479 vehicles by the tip of the automotive’s run in April 1995.

Hölscher and Mönig drove an instance of the automotive to mark the thirtieth anniversary, and Hölscher beloved the way in which it drove, even in any case this time. “Its dealing with is magnificent. The longitudinal acceleration is superb, the brakes are excellent and it’s a pleasure to drive this automotive with its dynamic character,” he mentioned. “I actually benefit from the lovely and unobtrusive sound of the eight-cylinder engine.”

That is not a shock given the exacting requirements of each manufacturers. On this occasion, Porsche engineering made a Mercedes higher, and the venture helped maintain an iconic however struggling sports activities automotive model afloat.