Mercedes has been making waves once more, not content with the success of their Formula One team or the impact that the Mercedes-Amg SLS had with its gull-wing doors and mind-blowing performance the boffins have been back at it to create the companies first in-house hypercar, the Mercedes-AMG One or Project One. Images for the concept were released back in 2017 but the prototype built earlier in 2018 has been given the green light for a limited production run similar to the SLS.
Why AMG Project One?
Despite what the name suggests the project one is far from the first project between Mercedes-Benz and their in-house performance company, in fact, the engineers have created more than ninety Mercedes-AMG vehicles throughout their history, typically these are standard Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have been given an engine swap, remap or complete new build to deliver a performance-focused road car or in some cases track day vehicle.
The AMG One is in reference to the engine that has been adapted from the championship-winning Formula One team Mercedes AMG Petronas who's current driver livery consists of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas with test drivers including the Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, George Russell, and Pascal Wehrlein. The engine has required hundreds of hours of testing to ensure it can withstand the pounding it is expected to receive from British roads and track racing all without the team of engineers typically involved in the preparation of every Formula One race. Little is known about the AMG Project One engine except that like a Formula One it will be a 1.6-litre V6 and deliver output in excess of 1000 bhp at the axel.
Why build the Mercedes AMG One?
Not to be outdone by the competition Mercedes-AMG has been working on the hypercar for years and were beaten to the punch by Aston Martin and the Red Bull Racing Formula One team who launched the Valkyrie while Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren all have competition for the Mercedes One already on the market. Although not to be outdone the One will apparently produce half of its curb weight through downforce most of which will be generated by the adaptable rear wing. The rear wing's ability to rise and open allows the wing to reduce downforce and drag on the straights thus helping with lap times.
Project One engine
The configuration of the engine has been confirmed as a hybrid the Formula One engine will be partnered with an onboard electric boost similar to its rivals, the Project One will have a full EV mode that will allow the car to run entirely on the electric motor making it eligible for the new emissions. The engine will be built in the same factory as the Formula One team in Brixworth. The engine will reportedly rev to 11,000 rpm in the red and exceed 215 mph at the top end. The production car is also anticipated to beat Bugatti's estimated 0-120 mph claim of 6.5 seconds.
Limited Edition
The Mercedes-AMG One will cost approximately £2.5 Million which is expensive even for hypercar money with the La Ferrari costing £1.15 Million and the Porsche 918 at just £673,000 while the Bugatti Chiron Sport (currently the fourth-fastest production car in the world ever) is priced around the same £2.5 million. While not everyone has the budget for the fastest vehicle with a Mercedes badge in excess of 1,000 people are queuing up to buy one despite only 275 units being confirmed by Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers.