The F1 powered road going Mercedes-AMG One has been confirmed for launch tomorrow but before the covers are removed, we have been given one last teaser of the most powerful Mercedes road going production car ever.
The Project One originally debuted as long ago as 2017, at the height of Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 dominance however adapting an F1-engine to be used on the road resulted in a few more hurdles than expected. The limited 275 unit Mercedes-AMG One production run, just as any other road-going car, is required to comply with the ever stringent regulations that restrict engines to make them more environmentally friendly. Formula 1 cars by definition are specifically designed for high performance usage throughout their product life.
Therefore engineers at Affalterbach were required to compromise between the two yet managed to retain the 11 000 rpm redline while lowering the engine idle from a whopping 5 000 rpm to a less gas guzzling 1 200 rpm. Regardless, the hybrid 1,6-litre V6 coupled to four electric motors manages a total output of 1 000 hp (740 kW) which can catapult the $2.7 million car to 100 km/h in less than 2,2 seconds before topping out at 350 km/h. Despite the ludicrous performance, the engine only requires a rebuild at 50 000 km.
Based on spy shots from its inaugural debut a few years ago, we know the final version will retain most of the styling of the concept car. The electrified hypercar is confirmed to enter production by mid-2022 so the few buyers can likely expect them to start rolling off of the production line in the next few months.
While this is still a production car with a windscreen mounted disk legal for road use, ex-AMG boss Tobias Moers made mention in 2018 that the Mercedes-AMG One could improve the 5:19.55 Nürburgring lap time of the purpose built Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo although we have our reservations. The current record on the ring is currently held by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with the Manthey Performance Kit which lapped the circuit in 6:43.30.
Regardless of what expectations have been built up for the model, it is going to be quick!
