Think of Affalterbach, and the first thing that comes to mind, is AMG. The performance car-tuning brand that has turned luxurious Mercedes-Benz's into fast, loud and intimidating machines. To celebrate 55 years of the performance and sports car brand, Mercedes-AMG has given rise to the much awaited Mercedes-AMG One. Finally, in its production form the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar borrows the V6 hybrid engine from Lewis Hamilton's championship winning F1 car. The engine was developed by the Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth who develop the engine for the brand's Formula 1 team. After teasing the concept and development models on multiple occasions, Mercedes has finally revealed their answer to the Aston Martin Valkyrie, and it doesn't stray far in terms of its looks in production form.
Besides featuring the engine from its Formula 1 car, the AMG One will also feature further technology derived from its ventures in motorsport. It includes the carbon fiber body and carbon fiber monocoque, suspension and active aerodynamics. Unlike Lewis Hamilton's F1 car, the AMG One gets Performance 4MATIC+ fully variable all-wheel-drive. The system uses a hybrid-driven rear axle and an electrically-driven front axle, featuring torque vectoring. The car can even be driven purely on electric mode. The AMG One is the closest thing one can get to driving a Mercedes-AMG F1 car on the road. The AMG One will make its first public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Here is everything you need to know about the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.
Mercedes-AMG's One Looks Awesome
It is immediately evident that the AMG One is muscular and has an aggressive stance. Keeping in mind the intent of racing on a track, the cockpit has been pushed towards the front with the hybrid V6 powertrain mid-mounted behind the driver. The curving wheel arches look great, as does the wide rear-end. The AMG One isn't what you'd call pretty, but that's because the designers had to work alongside aerodynamics specialists as well, keeping in mind downforce and balance for track performance. And, as it turns out, the team has been successful in helping the car generate downforce from as little as 31mph, and it gets better as speeds rise.
Up-ahead, the nose is a combination of a huge front apron, multiple air intakes and of course, the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star. There are massive air intakes on either side with U-shaped air deflectors, separated by a pair of black fins. The headlights merge with the shape of the body, while the air outlets in the bonnet direct hot air around the driver's side of the car, and then, into the air intake on the roof. The active flaps in the front contribute significantly to the aerodynamics, helping it achieve great balance. The low-slung greenhouse cannot go unnoticed, and the same can be said of the unique pattern on the windows. The engine gets its fresh air from the Formula 1-inspired air intake on the roof, and is hidden away under a pair of carbon fiber covers. The flanks that feature an airbrush design, comes from the mind of the artist who designed the paintwork for all the automaker's Formula 1 cars. Opening the doors will see them move forwards first, and then, upwards. While the charging socket is on the rear left, the fuel filler cap is on the right.
At the rear, there's a sharp spoiler lip and a two-part diffuser that are hugely beneficial when it comes to aerodynamic performance and efficiency at warp speeds. The rear wing is a blend of a retractable blade and an integrated adjustable flap. The tail lamp clusters feature three diamond-pattern lighting elements. The materials and colors from the outside are all from the AMG racing wing.
Inside The Mercedes-AMG One
The interior has less of style, and more of function - and this boils down to the performance requirements from the car. Everything around screams 'race car' - right from its minimalist cockpit and the components that are kept to a minimum. Expectedly, there is room only for two, and the fixed racing seat-pan sculpture becomes one with the footwell, forming one complete unit. While the steering wheel is electrically adjustable, the pedal box can be mechanically adjusted in 11 steps, allowing the driver to find the best possible seating position.
Mercedes-AMG One's Impressive Hybrid Performance
The E Performance hybrid unit has been sourced directly from Formula 1. It comprises a turbocharged combustion engine and four electric motors, one of which lies in the turbocharger, the other being installed in the combustion engine. The remaining two motors power the front wheels. The one uses the same 1.6-liter turbo V6 hybrid engine the manufacturer uses in its F1 cars as dictated by F1 regulations. It might sound small for a hypercar, but it makes 1063hp! While the revs are limited to an insane 11,000 rpm, it is lower than the 14,000 rpm allowed on the actual race cars. Naturally would have been required to meet emission regulations, something F1 cars are not subject to.
The engine uses a single electrically-assisted turbocharger, similar to the one on the F1 car. This allows the turbo to spool up to 100,000rpm before the engine exhaust takes over, thus reducing turbo lag. As F1 cars are restricted to using manually operated transmissions, the AMG One being true to its F1-derives nature also uses a 7-speed automated manual gearbox. The car comes with 6 drive modes: Race Safe, Race, EV, Race Plus, Strat 2 and Individual. Mercerdes-AMG claims the hypercar will do 219mph and has the ability to sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.9 seconds.
The Ultimate: Mercedes-AMG One
The new AMG One now takes over from the AMG GT range as the flagship/halo model for the car. Till date, the GT Track Series was the most extreme model on offer. After much anticipation and development by the folks at Affalterbach and Brixworth, the AMG One now finally going into production. The AMG One was an ambitious project from the beginning. To convert an F1 racing power-unit fit for the road and meet strict emission regulation was no easy task, all while staying true to its origins. The engineers seem to have pulled it off, not that many doubted them.
Source: Mercedes-AMG