The first generation of the C-Class has received an AMG improvement in 1997.
It was one of the first projects for street vehicles between the AMG and Mercedes-Benz.

AMG was formed as an independent company that took MB cars and transformed it. It was the tuner next door since the AMG HQ was just a few miles away from the MB HQ. Over time, the two companies started to work on various race-models and some special projects. But the W202 C43 AMG was special because the engineers had to figure out a way to install a big V8 gasoline unit inside an inline-six engine compartment.

From the outside, there were few clues that under the hood there was an over 300 hp engine installed. There were a slightly modified front bumper and aerodynamically styled sills. The twin-oval exhaust in the rear could have been easily mistaken with an aftermarket fake tip.

Inside, the C 43 AMG featured all the goodies that a C-Class could have. There was a full leather interior, with mahogany on the dashboard. An AMG writing was embossed on the steering wheel and white backgrounds for the dials in the instrument cluster.

For the engine, the AMG installed a 4.3-liter gasoline V8 unit, which was based on the 4.3-liter unit installed on other Mercedes-Benz cars. It was modified to offer more power and torque. It was a true factory sleeper.