How the Original AMG Ended Up Testing Fighter Jet Parts Before Vanishing
Various accounts state between three to five Red Pigs were built in total and they went on poorly documented record again for an inconsistent racing career. Sometimes, these boars tore through their tires, brakes, and fuel (they apparently got five mpg flat-out), while other times, they out-powered and out-cornered the competition on their air suspension to win races. The Red Pig’s most widely renowned result came at the 1971 Spa 24 Hours, where this fine swine went absolutely ham, finishing top hog in its class, and placing second overall, just three laps behind the victorious Ford Capri RS.
“It was an amazing car—enormous with huge speed,” remarked Hans Heyer, one of the Red Pig’s drivers, to Hagerty. “We had enormous speed comparing to the Capris, but no brakes at all…”
Alas, changes to ETCC regulations would effectively ban the Red Pig, which would be further modified and sold off—in which order isn’t clear—to French conglomerate Matra, which in addition to cars made military hardware. Because the sow compounded pounds with power, it was considered the ideal testbed for parts of fighter jets’ underbellies, namely landing gear. Few details (or photos) of the Red Pig in this configuration survive, but it was apparently lengthened to fit test rigs and had a hole cut in its floor so a wheel could protrude down at high speed to test landing-like conditions.
