What do you do if you itch so badly, but the doctor says you can't scratch it? Well, that's akin to how we felt through the 'itchy' five years of waiting for Mercedes-AMG to bring the Project One concept closer to the roads. Mercedes announced in early August that the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar has finally entered series production, with a planned 275 examples and deliveries scheduled to begin before this year runs out.
Each of those two hundred and seventy-five lucky owners will pay a handsome $3 million for their copy of the AMG One. While the clinking coins still ring in your ears, here's a refresher on the Mercedes-AMG One. The AMG One is a plug-in hybrid sports car prominent for its use of F1-derived technology.
So, it was just fitting that F1 driver Lewis Hamilton stood beside Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz, to unveil the AMG One at the 2017 International Motor Show Germany. It's been five years, but who wouldn't itch for a road-going hypercar with cutting-edge Formula 1 powertrain technology, wearing the Merc AMG badge, and anyone with cash can buy? Let’s see what makes this car so special.
What Makes AMG Special?
Firstly, gearheads know an AMG Mercedes isn't exactly a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. The question then is, what's the difference between AMG and non-AMG cars? AMG is short for Aufecht, Melcher, and Großaspach. The first two are the names of the founders of AMG, an independent engineering firm specializing in performance improvements for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. “Großaspach” is where Aufrecht was born.
Both men were seasoned engineers who founded AMG in 1934 as a racing engine forge. The firm is renowned for helping the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team emerge as Number 1 in the Formula 1 world. AMG’s history drips with passion, culminating in its release of the Mercedes W124 E-Class-based AMG Hammer sedan in 1986.
Nicknamed the Hammer, AMG injected the midsize sedan with performance modifications and tuned up the 5.6-liter V8 to generate 360 horsepower. The result was nothing short of revolutionary, considering that Merc and AMG ended up signing the dotted line in 1993, allowing AMG to leverage Mercedes’ extensive dealer network, starting with the Mercedes-Benz E 50 AMG.
In 2005, Daimler-Benz acquired and turned AMG into the Mercedes-Benz performance division/trim. What makes it extra special is that your regular Mercedes is already an impressive machine, both cosmetically and performance-wise but AMG offers the best that Mercedes-Benz has to offer.
AMG cars are specifically tuned for power and cosmetic upgrades. With AMG, there’s no rush. The team takes whatever time necessary to build each AMG engine, all of which are handmade (except the 6-cylinder models) to deliver significantly higher horsepower and torque. Now, imagine what makes an AMG an AMG One.
Is The Mercedes-AMG One A Supercar?
No, the AMG One is a supercar like no other. It is, in fact, a hypercar cradling AMG’s most potent engine in all history, producing a maximum power output of 1,063 horsepower and vrooming from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds. Some have called it a road-going AMG GT3 race car, and we're inclined to nod in agreement. The F1 hybrid powertrain is not the only thing “super” about this car.
It rides on a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, anchored by a push-rod suspension, to support the advanced active aerodynamics carbon-fiber body, bolstered by a load-bearing engine/transmission unit. All things considered, the Mercedes-AMG One offers even more than F1 cars in some ways. Consider that the 2-seat Merc AMG One is coming with the Division’s AMG Performance 4MATIC+ fully variable AWD with a hybrid-driven rear axle and electrically driven front axle with torque vectoring. The automaker says it can also drive purely electrically.
“With the Mercedes-AMG ONE, we have more than pushed the envelope,” says Jochen Hermann, Technical Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “The immense technical challenges of making a modern Formula 1 powertrain suitable for everyday road use have undoubtedly pushed us to our limits … the teams in Affalterbach and the UK never gave up ... The performance data of the Mercedes-AMG ONE are ultimately only a small excerpt of what technology is in this vehicle.”
Our Favorite Features Of The Mercedes-AMG One
The impressively complex hybrid powertrain is our favorite feature of the Mercedes-AMG One. The car weighs just a little over 3,700 lbs and packs a powertrain rated at 1,049 horsepower generated via a hybrid drivetrain mimicking F1 cars. The weight is one of two reasons the ONE’s developers opted for a single-clutch over a dual-clutch transmission.
The drivetrain comprises a gas-powered engine and four e-motors. As top AMG executive Ola Kallenius revealed, the AMG One’s ICE is a modified Mercedes V6 hybrid F1 engine (designated PU106B), a 1.6-liter turbocharged 90-degree V6 engine lifted from the Mercedes-AMG F1 W06 Formula One car. According to Ola, the AMG One wouldn't be road legal if the engine isn't modified to meet RPM idle and redline regulations.
Tobias Moers, head of Mercedes-AMG, revealed that the engine will be at 1,280 rpm when idle and redline at 11,000 rpm, generating 566 horsepower and a top speed of 219 mph. The torque is yet a mystery, thanks to the highly complex drivetrain. Owners will have to bring in their AMG One for engine refurbishment every 31,000 miles.
The quartet of e-motors is derived from F1 technology designed to recover energy that would've otherwise wasted while also improving efficiency when the car is in motion. It includes a 161-horsepower Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K) e-motor connected to the crankshaft, allowing regenerative braking. Another is a 121-hp waste heat recovery unit (MGU-H) coupled to the turbocharger to eliminate turbo lag, improve throttle response, and recover waste energy from the exhaust. The remaining two are 161-hp electric motors at the front axle, allowing an AWD drivetrain.
The e-motors should add 483 horsepower to the Mercedes-AMG One's total power output. Most of that power will go to the rear wheels delivered by a 7-speed single-clutch automated manual transmission comprising a 4-disc carbon racing clutch like those of modern F1 cars. AMG engineers figured a single-clutch would be better at handling the high-revving V6 unit. Mercedes call this highly integrated and intelligently networked drivetrain the E Performance hybrid.