It’s been delayed longer than a drizzly Monaco Grand Prix, but finally the Formula 1-powered Mercedes-AMG One has arrived. First revealed as a concept in 2017 to celebrate AMG’s 50th anniversary the One is now road-ready in time for its 55th birthday instead.
The carbon-fibre hypercar is the first road-going machine since the Ferrari F50 to run a genuine F1-based powertrain, utilising the Mercedes-AMG 1.6-litre turbo V6 that has dominated (until this season) Grand Prix racing’s hybrid era. The combustion engine is accompanied by four electric motors: one fitted to the engine itself, one to the turbocharger, and two driving the front wheels, and the combined output of this complicated arrangement is 1049bhp as the engine fizzes to its 11,000 rpm peak.
The One’s carbon-fibre monocoque is clothed in carbon body panels with active aerodynamic elements to increase downforce or reduce drag as required. Suspension is by a five-link system with pushrod spring struts, and features active damping, which was banned in F1 many years ago. Owners who – hopefully – choose to drive their One will be faced with a myriad of modes, with variations that allow full-electric propulsion or maximum-attack race pace, which is neatly named “Strat 2”. On top of that there’s also a DRS button which retracts the rear wing for a higher top speed.
On the subject of speed the One will max out at 219mph, along the way reaching 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, 124mph in 7s, and 186 mph in 15.6s. Harvest enough power from the MGU-K system into the battery pack and the One can travel 11 miles on electric power alone, although who’d want to do that after waiting such a long time to get their hands on this £2.2 million masterpiece?
Suffice to say the development of the AMG One has not been a straightforward exercise. Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG, confessed that “This project was partly a curse and a blessing at the same time. But we have walked the stony path, and as a technician you naturally get carried away with all the details. From the materials used, the exceptional chassis components to the aerodynamic refinements–in terms of complexity, the Mercedes-AMG ONE is hard to beat.”
We’ll have to see about that…
Read more
Future classic: Mercedes-AMG C63 S
Can Ferrari’s hypercar win at Le Mans in 2023?
SSC Tuatara hypercar hits 295mph – and this time it’s for real
