I've now been back a few days from my trip around Europe including the Mercedes Museum, the Geneva Motorshow and this, the AMG factory. I thought I'd put this post together which I hope will highlight what a fantastic experience this was.

They really did make me feel special with a personalised tour of the engine building facility and the Design Studio, where they modify and carry out any special Designo trimming on customer cars.

The day started with a couple of surprises. Firstly, Affalterbach really is not the sort of place you'd expect a division of a major manufacturer to be located but this really is a small industrial estate in a sleepy village in the middle of nowhere (about 1/2 hour outside Stuttgart)! The buildings have all been built / revamped with a very clean and efficient corporate grey look and it looks like a very new and professional facility.

The second surprise was when I arrived and saw a Union Jack was flying outside; I initially didn't think anything of it but imagine my surprise when I was told it was indeed put out for me. Apparently, as an English customer was coming for a tour, they put out the flag....silly it may be, but that made me feel like a very valued customer! They even put out a second flag outside the office of AMG's MD as he apparently likes to know where, and I quote...'the person who is paying his wages on that day comes from'!

After a long discussion with my guide in the visitor centre, we went to the engine building facility which was like an operating theatre - very, very clean and surprisingly quiet. The V8's (63) and new TT 5.5's are built 'downstairs' and they make about 60 per day. We saw the engines being built up from nothing and the master engine builders simply 'walk' the engine (on a very sophisticated trolley) through the facility as they add parts to it to make it up. Each part they add has a barcode etched into it and is scanned so they can track back every part of every engine to the person who made it! I was told that they simply don't make mistakes.

They tried to find my engine builder as they like to introduce them to their customers but alas, mine was not there on that day. They do have about 55 master engine builders though!

I was then taken upstairs to the 'holy grail' of engine building; an even quieter area where they make the V12 (65) engines as well as the handful of 55 engines for the SLK AMG.

They also cold-test a percentage of engines at the end of the line but the engine builders apparently hate this job. Hardly anything ever goes wrong meaning it's very boring for them so they rotate that role around all the engine builders at some point.

I was then treated to a visit of their hot-test bench facility which is apparently not always open to customers. They had a Twin Turbo V12 engine on the bench which they fired up to show me what they do. Stood behind a 2 inch-thick bullet-proof glass screen, the noise was still very noticeable but even better, they dimmed the lights and you could see the turbo and exhaust glowing bright orange as it was revved, and held, at it's top speed! An amazing sight and I just wish I could have taken a picture of it!

Following this, I was shown the Design Studio which is where they customise customers' cars. They will do almost anything (except engine power increases) including special bodywork, chassis and interior appointments.

I saw a couple of white C63's in there that were just like the one I'm getting and having their leather dashes fitted (and hand stitched!). I've specified the Designo leather dash in my new C63 and was told that it would have a standard plastic dash fitted at the factory in Bremen and then be transported to Affalterbach to have it removed and a replacement leather dash installed! An absolutely crazy but interesting process!

Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures of the engine plant or Design Studio but I have some of the outside of the facility and the visitors reception area....


The AMG Factory is down there on the right somewhere!





The outside of the Visitors Reception and the flag put out for me!








Inside the Customer Visitor Reception....









Some nice cars....



















An MCT Gearbox split open:





The pearl-white paintjob on this is worth about £30k!!





And the middle-eastern buyer is apparently the only person who AMG allow to have 6 exhaust pipes.....you can't buy taste huh!







The MD's office with another flag flying outside!

Nice write up and pics! Thanks

Palmball - Any comments on how the new Gullwing looked in person?

Palladin - it looks seriously good. I actually wasn't too sure of it pictures but in real life its very aggressive and especially wide. It's got presence!

That engine too - it sits so far back in the engine bay that it's practically under the dashboard despite the long front end!

But I was also very impressed with the interior - I tried to capture that (not very successfully!) in one of the pictures. The design, driving position and quality are all top rate.

Thanks for sharing Hope to do that myself one day

Double post doh!

great write up!

Great writeup, like the personal touches they offered you, congrats on the second car!! By any chance, did you talk to them about the C class and if they will replace the 63 motor with a 55 and when?

That 6 exhaust AMG is crazy! I saw a 6 exhaust Brabus K8 in Abu Dhabi (C class) last week and it looked even cheezier than that AMG if that is possible...

Is that volcaniac ash on the ground????????????? I didn't think that there were any active volcanoes in Germany. Nice write-up indeed.

Thanks for the writeup and pics. What a special touch to fly the flag of your country.

Cool

Great write up. I too went to AMG and saw the things you saw. a couple of things....i'm so pissed the don't offer the leather dash here in the states, it's amazing. Further, i never realized why the american flag was flying when I went there. I remember thinking it was strange, but i never asked. Too cool. I agree with your assessment of the SLS. the pictures dont' do it much justice. In person, however, it's stunning. Here's some more pics. there were about 6-8 SLS's driving around when we were there.

A few more

Nice, I am headed there in July. Even though I am going to Paris for a wedding, I am flying into Stuttgart just to visit AMG.

Is that paint job really £30,000?
I saw an SL63 in my area 2 weeks ago that had that same paint job...

Nice pics thanks for sharing

Great report, you covered it all! I was there in September. Alex gave us a wonderful and informative tour. Definitely made me a believer in AMG. Did you by any chance ask if the new 5.5 was designed from the ground up by AMG? (like the M156) Or do we know that already and I missed it?



Here is video I took as we left the plant, drove thru Affalterbach and out into the beautiful countryside....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0CuHT43po8

Great video, Hans. It is cool to see the drive going in.

It's based on M273.