These days you’d be lucky to get your hands on one of Mercedes-AMG’s hardcore Black Series cars. There’s only been six different models, all of which are exceedingly rare and revered equally by collectors and serious enthusiasts alike; but it wasn’t always this way.

The origins of the Black Series date back to the ‘00s, before the Great Recession, to a time when AMG was on a mission to refocus the brand and reinforce its racing credentials.

“The history of AMG is based on motorsports,” said Joerg Letzel, product manager of the newest Black Series model. “In 1967, the founders [of AMG] Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher had the vision to build vehicles based on Mercedes cars with such enormous power that they could also be used in motorsports.”

The Black Series was originally one of three lines produced in AMG’s exclusive Performance Studio, alongside the “Signature Series” and “Edition.” The idea behind the Black Series, Letzel continued, was to create a more direct link between AMGs racecars and its street-legal machines. In other words, these were to be racecars for the road. Sounds like a slam dunk right? Well, not exactly; the first Black Series was met with limited sales.

Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Coupé Black Series