The $2.72 Million Dollar Mercedes-AMG Project One is a Hypercar with F1 Roots

[Photo Source: Business Insider, Photo By: Mercedes-Benz]

At the 2017 Frankfurt International Autoshow,, the team of Mercedes and AMG finally showed off the hypercar that we were teased with earlier this year. The Mercedes-AMG Project ONE, is a 1,000HP 1.6L V6 hybrid that was inspired by an F1 Championship winning engine. In my opinion, It’s the most insane supercar, let alone hypercar, from Mercedes since the CLK-GTR, 772 SLR, and the Stirling Moss SLR. The insanity is not only in the design and specs, it’s also in the price. The expected price for the Project ONE, is $2.72 million dollars, which is not crazy in the realm of hypercars, but still super expensive.

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Engine/Drivetrain

[Photo Source: Motor Trend]

What you get for the $2.72 million price tag, is a true Formula-1 car for the streets, as the design cues as well as the engine is F1 inspired. The 1.6L V6 Hybrid is said to produce over 1,000HP and can exceed a 217mph top speed. The Project ONE apparently doesn’t need a secondary key to unlock the full potential of the 1,000HP, like Bugatti’s Chiron, which is fortunate for the driver, and fortunately, unfortunate for the valet driver. In addition to that, the 1.6L V6 has been de-tuned, if you can call 1,000HP with electric motors de-tuned. The engine was optimized to deliver impressive numbers, while still meeting emissions standards.

According to Motor Trend, the original race engine revs to a “dizzying 13,500RPM” and the Project ONE’s engine only revs to a equally impressive 11,000RPM. The Project ONE uses a massive turbocharger, and several electric motors. The two electric motors, which power the front wheels, each deliver 161HP for a total of 322HP, and there is another electric motor, which is mounted to a shaft which spins the exhaust turbine, turns 107HP. With these numbers for the electric motors, its safe to say that the 1.6L turbocharged V6, pushes north of 400HP by itself.

Even though the Project ONE is essentially a hybrid, and will probably have an EV only mode, the range is only expected to be roughly 15 miles. While that is far from impressive, the Project ONE is a F1 race car, not a daily driver and/or a Tesla.

No Rice Zone Shirts on Sale Now

Design

The design of the Project ONE, is definitively race inspired. Some cues give off the impression of purpose built, track ready race cars. Those stats alone make it a contender, but that is only the beginning, According to the Verge.com, the Project ONE

“…has an aerodynamic “shark fin” running down its spine that’s similar to the one being used on the current F1 car, though that’s a more curious choice since the series has banned that piece of tech for next season.”

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Interior

[Photo Source: Business Insider, Photo By: Mercedes-Benz]

The inside of the Project ONE also features F1 cues. The seats and steering wheel are obviously F1 designed and the two displays, which I assume one is for your gauges, and the other for infotainment, and on-board tweaks and diagnostics, are driver oriented. Other features of the interior are the air conditioning controls and a spot to dock your phone, in the center console. Other than that, it would be safe to say that the Project ONE would have creature comforts expected from Mercedes. Sure, it is still a Mercedes in essence, but this is not your luxury cruiser, with a powerful engine, its something different.

The Car Files Filtered Logo T-Shirts!!!

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Thoughts

[Photo Source: theVerge.com, Photo By: Mercedes-Benz]

Mercedes doesn’t always produce a monstrous supercar, let alone hypercar. Sure, there have been some impressive supercars from the past, like the ones mentioned in the beginning of the post, but they aren’t know for this genre of the automobile. When AMG steps into the picture, that’s when the typical Mercedes, becomes a competitors nightmare. The Project ONE is basically an F1 car, that can be driven on the streets. While it is as practical, as driving a Zonda R (for example) to the grocery store, to get tonight’s dinner, it is a car that shows off what Mercedes-AMG can do, when they want to. First of all, the drivetrain alone is the most impressive setup I’ve wrote about in a while. There is a lot of technology that has been put into this vehicle, that I would expect to see in not only the future Mercedes-AMG collaborations, but in Mercedes-Benz performance models, that carry an AMG badge as a trim level. Unfortunately, but typical, there will only be 275 examples to see the garages and driveways of their prospective owners.

[Photos Source: theVerge.com, Photos By: Mercedes-Benz]