5 Of The Rarest Mercedes-Benz Sports Cars Of The '80s

Mercedes-Benz's modern lineup is filled with vehicles that cover most mainstream segments, as well as plenty of niches. If you're looking for a $200,000 luxury electric SUV with 649 horsepower, the brand has you covered. Likewise, if you're after an entry-level premium crossover with a modest 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, you'll be able to find what you're looking for. Buyers looking for sports cars have plenty of options too, with the brand's AMG lineup spanning from low-slung coupes to seven-seater SUVs.

Back in the '80s, Mercedes' sports car range wasn't anywhere near as comprehensive. Its performance vehicles were produced in much lower numbers, with some being particularly rare. Many of the rarest sports cars were produced by AMG, which today acts as Mercedes' in-house performance division but back then was a tuning specialist that became the de facto place to turn everyday Mercedes cars into autobahn-storming performance machines. Throughout the decade, Mercedes also released a few of its own in-house sports cars, some of which were almost as rare as the coveted AMGs.

The Hammer was AMG's first dedicated road car, and it remains one of its maddest creations even today. The car helped set the template for modern super-sedans, with its AMG-built V8 engine putting out 355 horsepower at launch. This initial launch variant featured a 5.6-liter engine, but AMG later decided that it wasn't quite outlandish enough and set to work developing an even more potent variant. In 1987, just a year after the original debuted, AMG unleashed a revised 6.0-liter version of the Hammer with 375 horsepower on tap.

While the AMG Hammer is undoubtedly one of the coolest cars of the '80s, enthusiasts will find it tricky to see one in the metal. The exact number of Hammers built isn't known, since AMG did not keep an official record, but it's thought that around 30 examples left the factory. The few collectors that did get their hands on one paid staggering amounts, with final costs for the Hammer conversion reportedly around $180,000. Accounting for inflation, that's the equivalent of more than half a million dollars today.

When a manufacturer committed to a major racing series in the '80s, it usually meant that some rowdy homologation specials would soon be launched. To facilitate its DTM racing program, Mercedes produced a string of limited-run homologation specials based on its 190E, with one of the rarest '80s variants being the Evo I. It was launched in 1989 with 502 examples manufactured, just enough to meet homologation requirements.

Mercedes famously teamed up with Cosworth for the 190E's engine, which produced around 200 horsepower in the Evo I. The later Evo II would bump the engine's output even higher, and also give the car a more extreme body kit. However, it was launched in 1990, and so the Evo I kept the title of being Mercedes' coolest '80s homologation special. Both variants are now highly sought after among collectors, with the pictured Evo I selling at a Bonhams auction in 2025 for $224,000.

The North American arm of AMG operated partially independently of the German tuner, and it was responsible for building two of the rarest AMG-badged cars of the decade. Sport wagons were yet to be taken seriously by mainstream manufacturers — after all, it hadn't been that long since the dawn of the sports sedan — but AMG North America built one anyway. This initial build, dubbed the "Hammer Wagon," debuted in 1987, while a follow-up example arrived in 1988. A journalist dubbed this AMG wagon "The Mallet" during a test drive, and the name stuck.

Despite receiving positive press at launch, customers weren't interested in the AMG wagon, so only two examples were built. One was sold to a private buyer, while the other was initially kept by the family of Richard Buxbaum, founder of AMG North America. It was later sold on to new owners and eventually appeared at an RM Sotheby's auction in 2024, where it fetched $467,000.

Although it would be years before another AMG wagon would be built, the German tuner eventually caught on to the idea after seeing the success of the BMW M5 Touring and Audi RS2 Avant. AMG still sells a wagon model in the U.S. today; it's the AMG E 53 Hybrid Wagon, and it retails for $93,350.

AMG is the most notable Mercedes-Benz tuner, but in the '80s it was far from the only outfit that produced high-performance variants of the brand's cars. Styling Garage was another well-known name in the industry, with the 500SEC Gullwing one of its most famous models. According to RM Sotheby's, 57 examples of the Styling Garage Gullwing were built. One appeared at its Munich auction in 2024 with an estimate of €350,000 to €400,000, but it didn't sell.

The Gullwing pays homage to the legendary 300 SL, which is one of the coolest gullwing-door cars ever made. The Styling Garage 500SEC's design can't match the 300 SL for timelessness, but it's certainly still a striking car, with each example being slightly different based on individual owner preferences. The '80s had plenty of examples of over-the-top cars from boutique tuners and manufacturers, but few can match the Styling Garage Gullwing for either eye-catching looks or rarity.

Any collector who finds Styling Garage's 560SEC a bit too excessive could instead attempt to get their hands on AMG's 560SEC. The Wide Body 560SEC AMG featured a 6.0-liter engine with 380 horsepower, alongside revised performance suspension to ensure the car could handle its additional power. Much like Styling Garage's version, the 560SEC AMG is incredibly rare, with only around 50 examples reportedly made.

The Wide Body name originated from AMG's visual tweaks, which saw the 560SEC fitted with a body kit that reinforced its autobahn-conquering credentials. Whether it was finished in a stealthy black or a lighter paint like the car above, it's a package that's arguably aged a lot better than Styling Garage's take on the car. We even included the 560SEC AMG Wide Body on our list of the best-looking Mercedes-Benz models ever designed, alongside the likes of the SL Pagoda and AMG GT Black Series.