Building sports cars for the road is no big deal for Mercedes Benz since the German marque has a lot of expertise in this field thanks to its performance car division, AMG. However, building a hypercar is a completely different challenge, especially one with the heart of a Formula 1 (F1) machine.
But Mercedes set out to do exactly that when it first announced the AMG One hypercar project five years ago at the International Motor Show in Germany.
Mercedes AMG One scissor doors
The One is very different from the rest of the AMG lineup from Mercedes since it gets the DNA of a proper race car. Powering the AMG One is a 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine churning out 566 bhp that has been derived from the Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid race car, which won the championship in 2015.
However, there are some critical differences between the mill powering this barely road-legal car and the One that powered the F1 race car.
In the F1 car, the V6 motor was paired to a motor-generator driving the rear wheels in addition to a second motor installed at the turbocharger. The AMG One, on the other hand, benefits from a single electric turbocharger paired with four electric motors that are fed by an 8.4 kWh battery.
AMG One gets a racecar powertrain
The fourth electric motor is mated to the turbocharger, which adds 121 bhp to the total output resulting in a mind-boggling 1,049 horses dished out by the hybrid powertrain. Transmission duties on the AMG One hypercar are carried out by an Automated Speedshift 8-speed manual gearbox.
This powertrain also features an 800-volt EQ Power+ drive system that enables the car to run on pure electric power for 25km.
As for performance, the AMG One can fly up to speeds of 350 kmph. The hypercar can sprint from a standstill to 200 kmph in just 6 seconds. In most countries, these speeds will be way above the legal limits. It is safe to say that the full potential of the AMG One can only be extracted on a race track.
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The One has obviously been designed to withstand extreme speeds. As expected, it flaunts an extremely aerodynamic design—sharp and edgy with the perfect blend of aggression. Up front, it gets a flat nose with massive air intakes housed within the front bumper.
The muscular rear end features flat LED taillights that wear the AMG logo. Other impressive details include a fish-like fin on top, 10-spoke forged aluminium wheels, and a large rear spoiler at the rear. Overall, it has a dramatic yet sophisticated appearance.
Aerodynamic design of AMG One
Inside the cabin, the Mercedes-AMG One boasts a minimalistic layout but being a Merc it has been loaded with plenty of bells and whistles. Among the most prominent ones are two ten-inch displays— one for the infotainment system and the other for the instrument cluster.
It also gets a steering wheel that features integrated controllers borrowed from an F1 car.
The ergonomically contoured interior with two bucket seats enhances the race car experience. The seat surfaces are draped with Nappa leather in magma grey while the interior door trims and dashboard feature a sporty textile mesh.
The centre console tunnel acts as a functional component of the carbon-fibre support structure, blending seamlessly into the monocoque architecture.