We always look after our readers’ requests and one of you recently requested our insights on the Mercedes-AMG One.
The German hypercar was presented at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2017. Mercedes promised to bring this Formula 1 car to the road and, ever since, car enthusiasts have been going nuts for this vehicle. In fact, the Swabians kept their promise as the rear of the carbon racer hosts the engine from the 2015 Silver Arrow (Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid)- including recuperation and hybridization. Even F1 pilot Lewis Hamilton was booked to tease out the Mercedes-AMG One to add some extra F1 racing vibes.
The unique design of the hypercar immediately reminds us of its motorsport origins. Every design detail has a specific benefit for the overall performance of the vehicle. The air intakes that stretch across the entire width of the hypercar, the large wheel arches and tight waist with a wide tail are all clear indications that Mercedes used its racing know-how to design the hypercar. My personal highlight is the is the air intake on the dynamic roofline that elegantly flows into the vertical shark fin – just beautiful!
As mentioned earlier, the engine of the Mercedes-AMG One sits at the back of car. The 1.000 hp power output comes from a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid combustion engine in combination with four electric motors. One of them is integrated in the turbocharger, as is the case in Formula 1 cars, and another is located directly on the combustion engine and connected to the crankshaft. The remaining two engines are located at the front wheels of the hypercar allowing the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds. Mercedes claims a top speed of more than 350 km/h for its fastest Silver Arrow on the streets.
Mercedes-AMG One by Jack Cockrell
The integration of an F1 engine into to a street car was challenging for Mercedes. Not only did they have to to adjust the fuel from racing gasoline to commercial Super Plus fuel, they also battled with many regulatory issues from the vehicle licensing authority, especially in terms of emissions and safety requirements for the (street) driver. What I love the most about this whole project is that the integrated engine is not just any F1 engine…it is the world champion engine of Mercedes from the 2016 season. The best engine in F1 back then homologated into a road-legal car!
Some of Mercedes’ previous F1 pilots have ordered the AMG One like current world champion Lewis Hamilton, his teammate Valtteri Bottas, previous world champion of 2016 Nico Rosberg and F1 legend David Coulthard. In total, only 275 car collectors will be lucky to own one of the two-seaters.
Delivery of the high-tech hypercar was planned for 2019 but due to complications with the powertrain Mercedes postponed deliveries to 2021. However, I am more than excited to see the first Mercedes-AMG One on the streets and experience whether it really brings the most modern and efficient Formula 1 hybrid technology almost one-for-one from the racetrack to the road. If so, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this hypercar will one day achieve iconic status like the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (click here to read more about the 300 SL).
The Collectors Circle loves the Mercedes-AMG One and we can’t wait to see some of our clients with the fastest Silver Arrow ever made.
Summary
Brand:
Mercedes-AMG
Model:
One
Price:
Original selling price around EUR 2.75 – 3.0 million
Limitation:
Small production batch of only 275 cars
When to drive:
The Mercedes-AMG One was not made to be driven by everyone. Just a few petrolheads will be lucky enough to have it in their private collection. Although the car is made for the road, it’s probably not going to be your first choice for going grocery shopping. I think driving a machine like the Mercedes-AMG One would be most fun on the race track.
What we love about the car:
The integrated engine is not just any F1 engine…it is the world champion engine of Mercedes from the 2016 season. The best engine in F1 back then homologated into a road-legal car! This is nuts and I love it.
Photography: Jack Cockrell IG: @jwkexotics