It’s been a long road but Mercedes-Benz AMG’s One hypercar is finally here in production form and the lucky buyers awarded a build slot can look forward to the start of deliveries later this year.
First revealed in concept form at the 2017 Frankfurt International Motor Show, the One is a celebration of the Mercedes Formula 1 team’s string of successes in the top echelon of motorsports over the past decade and is powered by the same engine used in multiple championship-winning F1 cars (specifically the unit from the 2015 season).
The mid-mounted engine is a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 complete with an 11,000-rpm redline and turbo-mounted electric motor-generator. Three additional electric motor-generators feature in the One, with one mounted between the engine and a 7-speed automated manual transmission, and a further two at the front axle to form an all-wheel-drive system. Combined output of the system is 1,049 hp, with the engine on its own delivering a maximum 566 hp.
Mercedes-Benz AMG One
Mercedes AMG W07 Hybrid 2016 Formula One car power unit
Mercedes-Benz AMG One
Claimed performance numbers, likely on the conservative side, include 0-62 mph acceleration in 2.9 seconds, 0-124 mph in 7.0 seconds, 0-186 mph in 15.6 seconds, and a top speed governed at 219 mph. A production car lap record of the Nürburgring is also likely. The time to beat is the 6:43.61 set by AMG’s GT Black Series in 2020.
Beyond the special powertrain, the One benefits from high levels of downforce. The active aerodynamics, which underwent wind tunnel testing with help from F1 engineers, features a multi-part, two-stage extendable rear wing for maximum downforce in race mode. We hear as much as 1,500 pounds. There’s also a Drag Reduction System, just like in F1. Here a flap attached to the rear wing, as well as the car’s active louvres, are closed. Although this reduces downforce by around 20%, it enables a higher top speed. The DRS is automatically deactivated as soon as the driver breaks or sufficiently eases off the accelerator.
Also borrowed from the world of F1 is the One’s push-rod suspension design and lightweight carbon-fiber construction. For the suspension, five-link designs are used front and rear. The adjustable coil-over suspension has several special features: both push-rod spring struts have been installed across the direction of travel to maintain a low height. The innovative arrangement of the spring/damper unit also replaces the function and application of conventional tubular cross members.
The wheels consist of 19-inch front and 20-inch rear pairs, shod with 285/35- and 335/30-size Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, respectively. The brake setup features carbon-ceramic rotors at all corners, with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston in the rear.
The One will make its formal debut later in June at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. Just 275 examples are destined to be built, and all build slots are long gone. The price for one is 2.275 million euros (approximately $2.44 million).
Keyword: Mercedes-Benz AMG One F1 car for the road finally arrives, packs 1,049 hp