Mercedes-AMG One: the hypercar that almost never happened

Practically everything has already been said about the Mercedes-AMG One. Yet the more we learn about this hypercar, the clearer the scale of the challenge involved in creating it becomes.

Drawing directly on technology from the 2016 Formula 1 championship-winning single-seater, the Mercedes-AMG One is the product of years of development, innovative engineering solutions and no small amount of daring.

For a time, bringing it to reality seemed simply impossible. However, AMG’s engineers refused to give up. The outcome is one of the 21st century’s most significant automotive projects, which we had the chance to see first-hand in Porto, at Sociedade Comercial C. Santos:

This is far more than another special model: it is the most expensive Mercedes ever in Portugal, as well as a project that forced Mercedes-AMG engineers into entirely unfamiliar territory.

A project that almost never happened

Its arrival was anything but straightforward, becoming a genuine technical and financial nightmare. Before getting to that, though, it is worth returning to the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, where Mercedes-AMG chose to unveil the Project One.

That was the name given by the Affalterbach brand to its prototype, created around a very simple ambition: to install in a road car the same engine used by AMG’s Formula 1 single-seaters.

Unsurprisingly, the presentation made a major impression and set the foundations for the next generation of hypercars. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, very little was heard about the Project One in the years that followed.

It was only five years later, in 2022, that the production version was revealed. We now know that it could quite easily never have existed at all: emissions-compliance issues, engine calibration, software… virtually every difficulty imaginable arose.

That should not come as a surprise. After all, this is an engine that would normally need a team of 20 engineers simply to operate. Here, however, it also had to deliver the reliability expected of a production car. Achieving that alone was a major success for the entire development team behind this model.

Mercedes-AMG One: dream figures

The engine is, naturally, at the heart of the entire package. The 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 is exactly the same unit used by Mercedes-AMG during the 2016 Formula 1 season, although it is paired here with four electric motors: two on the front axle, one connected directly to the crankshaft and another integrated into the turbocharger.

To illustrate the complexity of this power unit, each engine must be removed and overhauled at AMG’s Brixworth facility in the United Kingdom after 50,000 kilometres.

In return, its performance is difficult to fault: 0–100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, 0–200 km/h in 7 seconds and 0–300 km/h in 15.6 seconds. Top speed? It is electronically limited to 352 km/h.

To produce those figures, the AMG One’s powertrain develops a maximum output of 1063 hp, with the petrol V6 alone contributing 574 hp - an extraordinary figure for an engine of just 1.6 litres.

Less remarkable is its fully electric range - yes, this is a plug-in hybrid - which is restricted to 18 kilometres. But honestly, would anyone buy an AMG One to drive it without waking up the V6? No. Of course not.

Aerodynamics are crucial

The aerodynamic work carried out by Mercedes-AMG’s engineers is at least as important as the engine itself. Thanks to active aerodynamics, the AMG One’s bodywork can adapt instantly: when additional downforce is needed for attacking corners, the flaps in the wheel arches open to work with the enormous rear wing; on the straights, all of these appendages retract to reduce aerodynamic drag as much as possible.

In addition, depending on the selected driving mode, the car’s ride height can be lowered by 37 mm at the front and 30 mm at the rear. In its most aggressive aerodynamic setting, the AMG One can generate more than 1000 kg of downforce.

From the engine and aerodynamics to the simple cabin trimmed in Alcantara and carbon fibre, without overlooking the carbon-ceramic brakes, complex torque-vectoring system and even the racing clutch, every element of this AMG One was designed with performance in mind.

It is enough to remember that the AMG One is currently the fastest production car at the Nürburgring, with a time of 6min29.09s:

Just 275 units

Naturally, the Mercedes-AMG One carries a price to match its abilities: €2.5 million before taxes. Only 275 examples will be built, and every one had been sold before the car was even announced.

That says a great deal about what this hypercar represents. Its buyers are not merely taking home an automobile; they are securing a genuine piece of history. Given the current climate, it is highly unlikely that we will see a similar project in the future.