HWA has released a shadowy preview of the car it intends to develop after the Evo and Evo R. The image shows a long bonnet and a squared-off profile that recalls the Mercedes-Benz W124. Observers have immediately connected it with the late-1980s AMG Hammer, although HWA has not confirmed either the project's name or the precise car that inspired it.
The teaser matters because HWA has already demonstrated how far it is prepared to take a historic Mercedes design. The Affalterbach engineering and racing specialist reinterpreted the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II as the HWA Evo, a heavily re-engineered road car, before introducing the more track-focused Evo R. The new silhouette suggests another project in that vein, this time using the proportions of a larger Mercedes.
The original AMG Hammer occupies a distinctive place in the marque's history. Created when AMG was still independent of Mercedes-Benz, it combined relatively discreet W124-based styling with substantial V8 performance. It is precisely the sort of pre-merger machine that attracts collectors who remember AMG as a specialist engineering house rather than simply a factory performance badge.
There is, however, an important distinction between what the teaser shows and what enthusiasts expect. The profile could evoke a Hammer, a 500 E or another W124 derivative. HWA has disclosed no engine specification, production quantity, price, performance targets or reveal date. Suggestions of a modern V8, carbon-fibre panels or particular chassis modifications are informed guesses, not announced features.
In its accompanying message, HWA described revisiting another chapter of its engineering heritage while exploring modern technology. For now, the confirmed development is the existence of a new project and a carefully chosen silhouette. The details that would establish exactly what the car is remain under wraps.