Shelby-AMG Tuning

Shelby-AMG were two Terran companies during the early Space age which specialized in maintenance and upgrade of ground vehicles. As with most companies during the Terran Exodus and early Hegemony era, they expanded into military hardware to satisfy the thirst for equipment from various organizations. Like other fine-tuning companies, Shelby-AMG partnered with many other brands and partially control the Quikscell Company.

History

Age of War and Star League Era

Shelby-AMG specialized early in the modernization of “primitive” BattleMechs to more modern standards. The original BattleMechs were using larger engine, more primitive (and heavier) cockpit assembly and generally lower quality armor alloy, but by the end of the 25^th century, most of these technologies had been “refined” by the Terran Hegemony and the future member-states of the Star League.

In makeshift shops around the Inner Sphere, Shelby-AMG brought in ‘Mechs and disassembled them and replaced “subpar” parts for more up to date equipment. This service was especially valuable to the early mercenary commands and minor noble houses, which could not always afford to replace equipment wholesale. Shelby-AMG sidestepped much of the “Mother Doctrine” at that time by being the full owner and operator of their own plants which were managed independently.

During the Star League era, Shelby-AMG expanded their presence in the member states, following a similar decentralized method to avoid legal issues. As new technologies flowed in, the tuning company started offering more specialized kits to discerning customers while the bulk of their work remained “basic” rearmoring and upgrading heat sink kits

Succession War

During the Succession Wars, Shelby-AMG mostly concentrated on the simplest tasks at hand: repairing existing BattleMechs. Without any suppliers of advanced parts and equipment, they still set up shop on various worlds where they operated repair yards. Most of their “main hubs” were far from the standard frontlines of the time and were kept mostly secret by the locals as to not attract attention from other foreign powers. Shelby-AMG kept a significant force around most of their repair yards to defend them from attacks from pirates and raiders.

Rebirth Era and Early Clan Invasion

Shelby-AMG was a key part in the diffusion of the Helm Memory Core throughout the Inner Sphere. A Shelby-AMG station on Bedeque received a copy soon after its discovery, which he copied and sent to another station on Tiber, which then copied it and sent it to 2 other stations. While most facilities had no idea what they really held in their hands, they freely shared it with other corporate entities in the Quikscell network.

The first things which were decoded by Shelby-AMG from the Core was improved maintenance techniques and repair equipment dating from the Star League era, which improved the effectiveness of their facility by a fair amount. This increase in revenue allowed them to expand some facilities into larger refit yards, allowing the transformation of “Succession War” era ‘Mechs into their “Clan Invasion” era version starting in 3046.

The Clans destroyed and captured several Shelby-AMG locations in their invasion corridors, which the company tried to levy various insurance claims with Lloyd’s of New London. The two corporate entities went back and forth through lawsuits and claims, making it a common sight in the news at the time. The refit company was still profiting from the modernization of the equipment the Inner Sphere was going through at the time and made a tidy profit.

Civil War and Jihad

The FedCom Civil War cemented Shelby-AMG’s decision to move away from the center of the Inner Sphere. All parties involved (including the Capellans and Combine) claimed multiple Shelby-AMG repair yards “for temporary use” with no real intent of giving them back. In these situations, thankfully, the insurance companies did cover for some of the losses and even forced the hand of the DCMS and CCAF into relinquishing control of some of locations.

The corporate entity itself moved away from the front lines once again. Another market they explored and settled in well enough was the near Periphery, with states like the Taurian Concordat expanding their military base and various mercenary outfits hiding out in that region. These establishments became small hubs for hiring mercenaries on top of repair halls.

The Jihad caused more damage to the “spheroid” holdings of the company as both the Blakist, the Successor Lords, the Clans and what would become the Republic of the Sphere claimed what they could to keep fighting. Shelby-AMG did not swear allegiance to any group, but it is noted that the Word of Blake Militias were never turned away from service stations and that Precentor-Martial Cameron St.Jamais had a positive tab with the company.

Republican Era

Shelby-AMG finished settling in the Periphery after the defeat of the Word of Blake. While they maintain a few repair yards in the different Inner Sphere powers, the larger and better equipped locations are now all located in the Periphery and in minor breakaway states of the Inner Sphere. While they do not own or operate any full-scale factories, a lot of their yards feature full upgrade kits for multiple “original” BattleMechs to bring them up to par with the more modern Republican-era ‘Mechs and their Clan counterparts.

Technology level

Shelby-AMG has access to all technology available to the Inner Sphere by the end of the Jihad. More advanced technology is only available on very specific orders and cannot be expected to always be available. Typical Shelby-AMG refits will feature rearmoring of ‘Mechs to ferro-fibrous compounds or reflective armor, upgrading lasers and PPCs to ER versions and replacement of the heat sink kit. More intense bodywork, including CASE installation and TSM installation, will be available at the larger facilities. Replacement of “like for like” autocannons is also available (AC/5 replaced with a LB-5 X or Ultra AC/5).