Mercedes E55 AMG
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| AMG was founded as a racing engine forge in 1967 under the name AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, by former Mercedes engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher in Burgstall an der Murr, near Stuttgart. The letters "AMG" stand for Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach, Aufrecht's birthplace (but at no time an AMG location). In 1976 most of AMG moved to Affalterbach, with the racing engine development remaining at the old location in Burgstall.
In 1990, with AMG having become a high-profile purveyor of modified Mercedes cars, Daimler-Benz AG and AMG signed a contract of cooperation, allowing AMG to leverage Daimler-Benz's extensive dealer network and leading to commonly developed vehicles ,the first one being the Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG, in 1993. On 1 January 1999 DaimlerChrysler, as it was called between 1998 and 2007 ( I call this time 'The rusty years', when Mercedes faulterd on its reputation for its quality and durability, J.D. Power surveys also demonstrated a downturn in reputation in this criteria in the late 1990s and early 2000s ), acquired 51 percent of AMG shares, and AMG was renamed to Mercedes-AMG GmbH. On 1 January 2005 Aufrecht sold his remaining shares to DaimlerChrysler, and since then it has been a wholly-owned subsidiary.
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