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A visit to Mercedes AMG – talking bikes, fast cars and inspiration…

17.06.2015
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Why are we so mad about what we do? Is it the drive to achieve the ultimate performance, a fascination for technology, or the desire to consistently improve ourselves and our bikes? Perhaps it’s the thrill of pushing the limit? High speeds? Or just the simple joy of moving at speed?

There are so many reasons why we love mountain biking. And surely these are the same ones that are awoken when we catch sight of a fast car.

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So that’s precisely why we didn’t hesitate for a moment when the AMG ROTWILD MTB Racing Team invited us to Affalterbach for a tour of the AMG plant. During our time as journalists, we’ve visited tons of production and manufacturing facilities, but the day we spent in Affalterbach was on a completely different level.

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2.7 litre, 180 horse power – as we puttered into AMG’s entrance in our Audi A6, we felt immediately out-gunned. To our left was the new GT, there was an SLS in the corner; we were literally surrounded by cars we only see in our wildest fantasies. But there was an entirely different purpose behind this Wednesday afternoon – and unfortunately, it didn’t involve reenacting our fantasies.

The AMG portfolio isn’t just home to these luxury cars (although for the record, our favourite is the Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6, costing over 400,000 €), it also produces cars for mere mortals that cost around a tenth of the G63. And these are exactly the kind of motors that they’re kitting the AMG ROTWILD MTB Racing Team out with.

Nadine Rieder, Stefan Kudella, Sofia Wiedenroth (v.l.n.r.) im Team-Dress.
Nadine Rieder, Stefan Kudella, Sofia Wiedenroth (l-r.) in the team kit.

Ahead of the day’s official key ceremony, there was unmistakable tension in the air despite the blazing sun and warm temperatures. Stood between the two good-looking pro cross-country riders, Sofia Wiedenroth and Nadine Rieder, the ever-smiling Stefan Kudella waited impatiently to enter the sacred home of AMG, where the official handing over of the keys for the team vehicles would take place.

Spannung: Die Autos sind bereit zur Übergabe.
The excitement builds as the cars wait patiently to be handed over.
Die Begeisterung ist den drei Profi-Racern anzusehen, als die GLA45 AMG übergeben werden. Leider dürfen die drei noch nicht gleich Vollgas geben, rund 1.500 km Einfahrzeit sind auch bei den AMG-Modellen Pflicht.
The pro riders can’t hide their satisfaction as the GLA45 AMG cars are handed over. But these three aren’t allowed to push the throttle yet – around 1,500km of driving is compulsory to bed the engine in with all AMG cars.
Feed the feed! Mama Rieder macht ein Foto für Nadines Fanseite.
Feed the feed! Mama Rieder takes a photo for Nadine’s fan page.
Ready to roll.
Ready to roll.
Eine glückliche Nadine in ihrem AMG in badass Schwarz.
A content Nadine in her bad-ass black AMG.

Nadine, can we ride with you?

Vrooooooom. With an aggressive growl, the AMG 2.0 litre turbo-charged four-cylinder motor gets the GLA45 AMG going. Its 360-horse power means the GLA45 accelerates from 0 – 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, satisfyingly out-running the Porsche 911 Carrera. Top speed: 250km/h. We don’t hesitate before asking: Nadine, can we ride with you?

Als Downhill-Racer und Lehrer Stefan Kudella die Schlüssel für seinen Wagen bekommt, merkt er mit einem breiten Grinsen an: „Ich freu mich jetzt schon darauf, mit dem AMG auf den Lehrerparkplatz zu fahren. Meine Schüler werden in der großen Pause ausflippen!“
After taking the keys for his car, downhiller and teacher Stefan Kudella said: “I can’t wait to ride into the school car park with the AMG. My students are going to go mental!”
Benedikt Hilger von Mercedes-AMG: „Für uns…“
Benedikt Hilger from Mercedes-AMG: “Through the partnership with Rotwild, we want to extend the AMG core principle of ‘driving performance’ so that it is also available on two wheels. Both companies are unified in their focus on performance, and both create products that incite the same enthusiasm and emotions for fans, riders and drivers alike.”
Die offizielle Präsentation in den Team-Outfits.
The official presentation in the team kit.
Nach der Übergabe folgte die Werksführung mit interessanten Fakten.
After handing over the keys, we headed off on a tour of the factory.

A look behind the scenes

Contrary to our assumptions, no cars are actually built at the AMG headquarters in Affalterbach, just the V8 and V12 motors. Over 1,300 full-time employees work here, focusing on development, the production of motors, administration, sales and marketing. Developing one new motor takes around four years, costing about half a billion euros in the process.

Eingang zum Motoren-Testlabor: Im Inneren durften leider keine Bilder gemacht werden.
The entrance to the lab for testing out motors. Unfortunately cameras aren’t allowed inside.
Die Produktion der AMG-Fahrzeuge findet im Rahmen der Serienfertigung in den Werken von Mercedes-Benz statt. Sonderanfertigungen werden anschließend in Affalterbach durchgeführt.
AMG vehicles are produced at the Mercedes-Benz factory. Only custom builds are carried out in Affalterbach.
Das im Jahre 1967 von Hans Werner Aufrecht und Erhard Melcher in Großaspach gegründete Unternehmen wurde erst im Jahr 2005 in den Daimler-AG-Konzern eingegliedert und hat sich neben der Motoren-Entwicklung nun auch auf die Entwicklung eigener Mercedes-Benz-Gesamtfahrzeugkonzepte spezialisiert.
It wasn’t until 2005 that the company set up in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher became part of the Daimler group. Alongside developing motors, it has now also specialized in creating their own Mercedes AMG-branded vehicles. The G in AMG stands for Großaspach, the birthplace of Aufrecht.
Das erste vollkommen in Affalterbach entwickelte Auto – hier in der Prototypen-Werkstatt: der AMG GT. Mit rund 130.000 € ein wahres Schnäppchen – zumindest im Vergleich zum G63 AMG 6x6 ...
The second car to ever be exclusively developed at Affalterbach, seen here in the workshop for prototypes: the AMG GT. A veritable bargain at around 130,000 € – well, compared to the G63 AMG 6×6 at least!
One Man – One Engine: In der klinisch anmutenden Motoren-Manufaktur wird jedes AMG-Aggregat von einem AMG-Techniker gefertigt. Anschließend erhält der Motor die handsignierte Plakette seines Erbauers oder seiner Erbauerin.
One Man – One Engine: In the rather clinical environment of the motor production facilities, every single AMG unit is finished by an AMG technician. Each motor then bears the hand-written signature of its creator.
Jeder Arbeitsschritt und sogar die Drehmomente werden digital protokolliert. Zur lückenlosen Dokumentation und für eine schnelle Analyse ist jedes Einzelteil mit einem QR-Code versehen. So ist schnell nachvollziehbar, aus welcher Produktionscharge welches Teil kommt.
Every single step of the process – and even every turn of every screw – is digitally protocolled. All the parts get given a QR code to ensure comprehensive documentation and guarantee a quick analysis. This means it’s easy to find out exactly where individual parts came from.
Im Falle eines Problems lässt sich die Fehleranalyse effizient durchführen. Es muss kein allgemeiner Rückruf stattfinden, da AMG genau weiß, welcher Kunde die jeweiligen Teile aus den fehlerhaften Produktchargen hat und diese Kunden gezielt kontaktieren kann.
If any issues do arise then analysing the problem is efficiently carried out. In the case of faulty parts, AMG can directly stop their production or exchange the specific parts that have already been made without having to do a general recall.
Bei AMG ist man sehr stolz auf die Leistung der eigenen Motoren. Der Turbo quetscht aus zwei Litern Hubraum 360 PS heraus. Rekordverdächtig!
AMG is very proud of the performance of their motors. The Turbo produces 360 horse power from a 2litre engine. A potential record-breaker!
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By the end of the day we were all really impressed and not just by the fascinating cars that had surrounded us, but also by the work process in the assembly and development departments. What’s more, the opportunity to take a glance outside of the cycling world was invaluable and inspiring, giving us a different perspective on our own industry. At both AMG and in our world, it’s about performance, a love for the unusual and having fun at speed.

Words: Robin Schmitt Pictures: Klaus Kneist

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