Hypercars, Sledgehammer AMGs & Mercedes Race Cars: Who Are HWA?

There’s a secretive company in Germany that’s about to get rather a lot of attention. It’s called HWA, and in just a few days’ time will show the world its first restomod, a £700k stunner based on the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II.

Who? How much? Fret not, because HWA’s pedigree means its new ‘EVO’ will be worth every penny. You see, founder Hans Werner Aufrecht (hence HWA) was originally the A in AMG, and after selling up to Mercedes in the late ‘90s, set up his motorsport business and has never looked back.

HWA subsequently ran Mercedes’ DTM efforts and is the most successful team in series history. Bar Formula One, HWA has pretty much had a hand in every other Mercedes race car too, including the GT3 versions of the SLS and AMG GT. HWA also ran the Mercedes Formula E factory team, winning the driver and manufacturer titles in 2020/’21 and ‘21/’22.

Plus, it built the rare-groove CLK DTM road car, and the SL65 Black Series. Then there’s naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 for the Pagani Huayra R, that’s HWA’s own, as is all the engineering work for the recent relaunches of the Apollo and De Tomaso brands. On and on the list goes.

Over to Top Gear’s Head of Car Testing, Ollie Marriage, to make sense of just how special HWA really is…

WATCH MORE TOP GEAR:

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 History
02:51 Engines
05:41 Mercedes AMG GT
06:24 Apollo Intensa Emozione

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[boy]

Retired Agent 47 living his best life.

[hankmoody]

Watching these videos makes me think that there is absolutely no way that engines will die out. The engineering behind these engines should never go extinct.

[chartreux]

I knew about HWA but to be fair, i'm German and a German Car Enthusiast. But it's fantastic to see someone big like Top Gear make a Video about them, they deserve so much more Attention
Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps

[bicyclist]

This is absolute heaven for car nerds. I love the DeTomaso P72. I remember when Gumpert went bankrupt, and then heard shortly after that DeTomaso went bankrupt too. Looks like I found out who bought the names. I'm old enough to remember when all this Mercedes DTM winning was going on. Unfortunately I was stuck in the US, surrounded by No one who even cared. It must be a dream of every engineer to work here. Thanks.

[goegi]

Am I the only one thinking somehow Top Gear has turned into one of the absolute best automotive YouTube channels over the last years?

[ALMXDP]

Ooohh, the end with what appears to be an HWA reimagining of a 190e Evolution!!!

[arefinlabib]

-Hey is there a door-stop to keep this door open?
-What door-stop? Just put a trophy there instead.

[noelht]

0:21 Just look at that Pagani engine block. You don’t need the rest of the car. Just buy the engine block like that and put it on your dining room table. Sit there looking at it 24 seven. Get the boys over. Sit there looking at it together not speaking but just basking in its glory

[giorgosarifoglu]

That Apollo looks like something out of Star Wars ready to take off...

[DailyOwnSupercars]

This has to be one of the smartest man in car industry he sold then he build his own lol with still has rights to Mercedes lol😂 I want to be his grandson

[Dragonson]

I had never heard of them until today. They're absolute legends!

[fernandoarroyo]

That 190e I still consider to be one of the most clean, most beautiful, and most tough looking cars ever.

[bryankotsch]

I'd love to see what they could do with my Challenger. I just can't afford it😂

[lichh]

I like hearing of those behind the scenes companies who work with bigger better known companies

[MarcSob]

The Apollo engine is a Ferrari F140 family engine, same as the F12 TDF!! This company just tune the engine!

[timo]

HWA: what engine do you prefer?
Pagani: the one that broke most circuits noise limits
also Pagani: *give an extra muffler option just in case

[SamI-jkvt]

De Tomaso should have kept the V12. a V8 will never sound as good as the V12 did

[mostquekarim]

Great video it was worthy to mention that HWA made the special A38 AMG twin engine and A32 AMG cars too.

[LITE_BLOX]

Thanks for the footage and we are proud to be on board! 👻💙🏁

[CALVINBYKELVIN]

Thank you, sir, for this very informative and very cool video. Thank you very much.