Inside AMG's Arctic Garage

Virtually every car manufacturer performs cold weather testing near the tiny town of Arjeplog, Sweden, just south of the Arctic Circle. In fact, so heavy is the automotive presence there that the city's population swells with up to 1,800 test drivers during high season. Though development is usually the name of the game in these icy parts, Mercedes-Benz's consumer-based AMG Winter Sporting Academy commands the largest garage of its kind in the area, housing 8 SLK55s, 8 E63s, 8 C63 Coupes, 2 fully kitted race taxis, 2 drift cars, and 2 G55s-- all within a nearly 10,000 square foot space.

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The cars are first tested at AMG headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany, and see considerably different duty than development sleds; you'd think that engines churning up to 557 horsepower and running near redline, all the time, would require maintenance, but the crew here doesn't even perform routine oil changes. Instead, a stack of fresh steering racks suggests serious front end damage is the most recurring theme, and explosive crashes into snowbanks ensure there are also plenty of spare side skirts, underbody panels, and lamp lenses on hand. Three mechanics work 'round the clock to address damage-related issues, while the?race taxis-- featuring?rally-spec goodies like extended suspension travel and extra diggy, 7mm spiked tires--?tend?to require less upkeep. ?

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Photography of their repair shop was strictly verboten when we visited the garage between hot laps (and frequent spinouts) on the massive frozen lake bed course. But suffice to say, this compact workspace proves the Germans are every bit as efficient about repairing cars as they are at building them.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/amg-arctic-garage?src=rss

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