Mercedes S-Class Blueberry W126 A Special Gift For AMG North America Founder Richard Buxbaum

Back when A and M were still running AMG, they had a special gift for AMG North America founder Richard Buxbaum.
 

Some folks are a stickler for very unique things. Exterior colors are definitely on that list. Ever met someone who only buys cars in one color? Yep, that’s the type. Although not as strict on just one hue, Richard Buxbaum does like a snazzy paint job. It’s just that at the time, the W126 was exactly the opposite of the United colors of Benetton.
 
Buxbaum becomes the main character behind this car, due in no small part to founding AMG of North America. Through Silodrome, we know that Buxbaum had a firm grasp on the US market, and informed Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher that Mercedes colors were just not cutting it. A point driven home when you think about stiff competition from Callaway, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari, and compare it to the color options on the W126.
 
So Aufrecht and Melcher listened, and also in secret, made this car specifically as a gift for Buxbaum’s work in getting AMG’s foothold in the very important US market. This car, nicknamed the blueberry is a showcase of pre-merger AMG at its best.
 

Under the hood was a 5.0 liter version of the M117 V8. Not quite the 6.0 Hammer version of this engine that would happen years later. But still a stout unit. After all, the 5.0 was the euro version, and had more power than the tope shelf 5.6 we had here. With headers, and extensive exhaust work, it was a rapid machine for its time.
 
The interior is where things get even better. Normally one would think that pale grey leather wouldn’t really get the heart pumping. But combined with pickled grey wood trim, it comes off as surprisingly simple, and even modern. None other than Gemballa had helped to complete this interior. Which is unique for having the front seats from a coupe, and the instantly recognizable AMG steering wheel.
 
In all, it makes “Blueberry” a unique footnote in AMG’s history, marking a significant stride into consumer cars versus just racing cars.