Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: the Roadgoing F1 Finally Unveiled!
FRANKFURT, Germany – The German automaker has been teasing us with this car for some time now, and it has finally arrived. The Project ONE, a veritable street-legal race car, has just made its world debut during a media event on the evening before the Frankfurt Auto Show opens its doors. According to the manufacturer, the hypercar is the most ambitious project in its history.
We’ll spare you the details about cockpit design and infotainment system user friendliness. The Mercedes-AMG Project ONE shares several powertrain components with the company’s F1 car, including the turbo 1.6-litre V6. There are also four electric motors: one directly connected to the engine’s crankcase, one integrated to the turbocharger, and one powering each of the front wheels.
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The mid-mounted V6 engine can rev up to 11,000 rpm, which is somewhat lower than what the one found in the F1 race cars can do. However, the latter must be supplied with racing fuel, while the Project ONE can run on super plus unleaded—likely an octane rating of at least 94. Topping all this off is an eight-speed automatic transmission.
We’re left with an all-wheel-drive, two-passenger car that boasts an output of at least 1000 horsepower. It is said to accelerate from 0 to 200 km/h in less than six seconds and can reach a top speed of 350 km/h.
It’s also a plug-in hybrid that offers an EV driving range of about 25 kilometres. Under relaxed driving, the hypercar can move along using only its two front electric motors.
Obviously, the automaker developed a sophisticated and adjustable multilink suspension, front and rear. The electronic stability program includes a sport handling mode, or can be deactivated completely. The car rides on 19-inch wheels up front, 20-inch wheels at the rear.
No sale date has been announced yet for the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE. However, only 275 units will be built, and most of them are already spoken for, as loyal AMG customers have likely had first dibs on them. Pricing has been set at 2,275,000 Euros, or roughly CAD$3.3 million.