Mercedes-AMG is one of the biggest names in high-performance road cars, even bigger on track, with a record number of successive drivers and constructors titles to its name. Incredibly, the upcoming AMG One is the German carmakers first bona fide hypercar.
What are we hoping for from AMG, given the brand's track record of some astonishingly fast road cars including hatches, coupes, and sedans we're expecting the AMG One to upset the current status quo. In a world of exotic 200+ mph performance cars stuffed with huge displacement multi-cylinder engines boasting as many as four turbochargers, the AMG making do with a paltry four-cylinder might seem like the underdog, but it really isn't the case. In a straight line, Bugatti's Veyron & Chiron range are the fastest production cars money can buy, and yet the former was beaten around the Nürburgring by Audi's RS3. It would seem big power figures alone don't necessarily make cars fast, this is where Mercedes-AMG has played its trump card, the One Hypercar having more in common with a lightweight F1 car that just happens to be road-legal.
One thing is for sure, if the AMG One is anything near as competitive as the brand's other mid-engined cars, the hypercar market is about to go into overdrive.
9 Mercedes-Benz AMG "Project One"
Originally just a concept to woo crowds at the 2017 Geneva Motorshow, the AMG One drew favorable press and visitor feedback to the point Mercedes had to consider building "Project One" as it was then known.
Fast forward four years and the One's development is at an end, production flagged for 2022, with customer cars slated for delivery before the years out, the wait is finally almost over.
8 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Connection
Designed and developed in Germany, both Gorden Wagener and Hartmut Sinkwitz had a hand in the exterior and interior design, from that point onwards, save for the obligatory Nürburgring testing schedule, everything else in the AMG One's construction takes place in England.
Why England? This is where AMG's full engineering expertise comes in, along with a host of other UK-based technologies that makes the Mercedes-AMG so special. Home of Mercedes-AMG's all-conquering F1 team, what better place than the Brackley for final assembly, engines too locally sourced.
7 Including Seven-Times World Champion, Lewis Hamilton?
We usually take carmakers' claims of "developed by some F1 driver" with a pinch of salt, Ferrari and Honda both boasting of Schumacher's, and Senna's input with the FXX and NSX respectively with little in the way of credible proof.
The AMG-One might just be different, with seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton appearing not only at the initial unveiling, but on several occasions taking to the Nürburgring for test driver duties. Needless to say, both Lewis Hamilton and former teammate Nico Rosberg are high on the waiting list for delivery.
6 F1 Technology For The Road
Save for a wider body form, looking top-down through the AMG One's carbon-fiber tub and exterior, you're left with a 50/50 split in the car's drivetrain. Up front, the car's 800v lithium-ion battery pack utilizes F1-sourced MGU-K/MGU-H energy recovering technology, feeding back into the drivetrain when called upon.
Leaving the AMG One's rear to accommodate its engine and transmission, developed in the UK by AMG's High-Performance Powertrain facility in Brixworth. One concession from track to the road car, Mercedes utilized a single clutch set-up in favor of weight saving over the 8-speed automated transmission's usual twin item configuration.
5 Mercedes-AMG PU106C
At the heart of this 200+ mph hypercar, Mercedes relies on a detuned version of its F1 championship-winning PU106C engine. Under the rear deck, a minuscule mid-mounted 1.6-liter V6 engine augmented by a highly complex turbocharging and energy recovery system results in 1000 hp. Did we say detuned? In reality, the AMG One boasts a similar power figure to Mercedes' 2017 F1 racer, here detuned referring to a lower 10,000 rpm rev limit.
The combustion engine and turbocharger alone boast two electric motors, one apiece with a further two powering the front wheels, making the AMG one an all-wheel-drive hypercar that also happens to be a PHEV. Imagine the surprise on Tesla owners' faces at your local filling station when the AMG One pulls up in need of a recharge.
4 Advanced Aerodynamics
A both ends the AMG-one is a stunning combination of form and function, no trick monstrous bolt-on wings like you get with AMG's GT Black series, instead, Mercedes incorporated a full complement of wings, splitter, and diffusers seamlessly into the body.
At the front, a huge central grille diverts air in separate directions, the lower path channeling air toward a two-piece rear diffuser. The longer and down forcing boosting up and over route not only pushes the AMG One into the tarmac but also feeds the roof-mounted air-scoop. As with every hypercar, rear wings are present, a roof-mounted shark fin for cornering stability, and a rear active item for greater downforce and braking.
3 Race Car Suspension
All the power, speed, and clever wings in the world count for nothing if the chassis cannot keep the wheels in contact with the tarmac. Needless to say, Mercedes has this one covered too, borrowing more race technology from the world of Formula 1.
Dispensing with a traditional layout of coil-overs, wishbones, and leaf springs at each corner, the AMG One uses a more compact push-rod design mounted closer to the chassis centerline. In turn, lowering the center of gravity lowers body roll, and improves high-speed stability. While it's a common race-car set-up, few road cars use the system on account of higher costs.
2 Purer Driving Experience With Minimal Distractions
Sadly, no gull-wing doors like those on the 300SL, Mercedes opting for a dihedral mechanism, the doors opening both upwards and outwards, its a nice touch that offers a better glimpse of the interior.
Any gearhead familiar with Formula 1 will instantly feel at home on the inside, with two carbon-fiber-backed bucket seats, a pair of screens, and a steering wheel pretty much all you get. The screens, admittedly, could have been reduced to one, but the headline feature here is the F1-style button-festooned steering wheel, cut short top and bottom. If this is the minimalist future of driving performance, then count us in.
1 How Fast, How Much, And How Many
The eagerly anticipated arrival of Mercedes-AMG's first production hypercar comes with a mixed bag of good and bad news. First up, the good, Mercedes claim the AMG-One will enter a delayed production in 2022 with a planned run of 275 cars. Extensive testing and development, yield a top speed of 217 mph, sixty taking 1.8-seconds, generating 1.4g under acceleration.
Now for the bad news, all 275 cars are already sold, Mercedes receiving interest for over a 1000 AMG Ones at its launch despite an eye-watering price tag of $2.6 million. With the aforementioned production delay, we wouldn't count on seeing one in the metal for some time, let alone any pie-eyed dreams of one cropping up at auction in hope of making a big mark-up on resale.