With an F1 powertrain, advanced active aerodynamics, and fully-adjustable suspension, the Mercedes-AMG One promises to be the fastest street car on sale today.
The Mercedes-AMG One finally debuted on AMG’s 55th anniversary. This is definitely not your everyday AMG; it’s a one-of-a-kind hypercar that marks an innovation in the automotive industry, as it comes with an E PERFORMANCE Formula One hybrid propulsion. The powertrain is similar to Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ 2017 F1 car, which is no small feat.
F1-Derived Hybrid with a 574 HP 1.6-liter V6 Turbo Monster
However, for the One, Mercedes-AMG used additional electric motors on the front wheels to increase traction and drivability. The rear wheels still get more power, though, as the back axle gets the full hybrid power from the internal combustion engine and electric motor.
Both axles work in synergy thanks to the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ AWD drivetrain, which uses torque-vectoring for exceptional cornering abilities.
The internal-combustion engine is without a doubt the heart of the AMG One. Mercedes utilized a legit F1 engine for the hypercar from the initial car in the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2017. However, getting it to perform in a street application caused quite a lot of distress.
The 1.6-liter V6 unit employs a standard turbocharger with electric assist and spins to a magnificent 11,000-rpm redline. It produces 574 hp (422 kW) on its own, owing to double overhead camshafts, air spring valves, direction injection, and a complex exhaust gas cleaning system. That’s 359 hp per liter of capacity, which is insane for a production vehicle, even a hypercar like the AMG One.
The powertrain also fulfills the Euro 6 emissions requirements. AMG states that the hybrid V6 is considerably more responsive than a naturally aspirated V8, with the electric turbo ensuring improved torque at low rpm.
But that’s not all — the AMG ONE comes with four electric motors to aid the V6 monster. Notably, a 90-kW (122 hp) motor is mounted on a shaft between the turbocharger and the electric compressor to increase throttle response. The other one is a 120-kW (163 hp) motor fitted on the engine and linked to the driveshaft. The other two 2 x 120-kW motors (326 hp) are housed in the front axle. The total power output from the hybrid unit is 1063 bhp.
Exhilarating Straight-Line Acceleration and Exceptional Cornering Abilities
AMG can push itself to 0-62mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds and goes 0-124 mph (200 km/h) in 7.0 seconds, and when you start breaking your limits, it can reach the peak speed of 219mph (352 km/h). On the other end of the spectrum, it can go a little over 11 miles on battery power alone, with total emissions of 198g/km.
The hypercar also features a full carbon-fiber monocoque for added stiffness and less weight. Meanwhile, the suspension has five arms and two struts positioned crossways and is fully adjustable.
Perhaps the most impressive technology, though, is the active aerodynamics. The driver can lower the Mercedes-AMG One by 37 mm front and 30 mm rear to increase downforce for track use, but the hypercar also employs various flaps, wings, and spoilers that open/close depending on the needs. Thus, the AMG One can achieve exceptional aerodynamic efficiency in the straights and F1-like levels of downforce in the corners.
It Costs $2.72 Million
AMG’s R&D did everything it takes to build the “Project ONE” as a street-legal machine, resulting in an AMG two-seater that you can enjoy on the street and push to the max on the track. Unfortunately, Mercedes-AMG will produce only 275 units, each costing $2.72 million, making it one of the most expensive new cars.
You can try the Mercedes-AMG One in the recently released Forza Horizon 5 game developed by Microsoft (available on PC and Xbox) as a consolation prize.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG One
