There are good nights, and great nights. The Mercedes-AMG Project One has its origins in the second. Mercedes’ hybrid hypercar is sheer madness from start to finish. A car, a sports car, that intends to redefine the concept of what is possible. Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius joked that they must have been drunk when they approved the project. A new preview of the launch that will take place in just a few weeks and that will leave everyone speechless.
The AMG Project One is the living transformation of a Formula 1 to the real world. Although we all think of Mercedes as a classic and gentrified brand, one only has to take a look at its past to discover some of the many crazy things that those of Stuttgart have launched to the market. In our memory there will always be models like the CLK GTR or the Mercedes G-Class with three axles and six wheels.. It is the only manufacturer to commit such madness where the blood alcohol level seems to have been behind every drastic decision.
The CEO of Mercedes himself has joked about the launch of what will be the most extreme, powerful and expensive car that has ever been produced by Mercedes. The plan began about four years ago when engineers from AMG and the Formula 1 division showed up at the firm’s senior manager’s office. An idea was running through his head: to put a Formula 1 engine in a road car. Ola himself has recognized the importance of the moment: “I’ll have to go back through the meeting minutes, but I’m sure we were drunk when we said yes.”.
Obviously they weren’t drunk, but they may have underestimated the technical difficulties of a project that has taken longer than expected. Mercedes expected to present the AMG Project One at the conclusion of the previous hybrid stage of Formula 1, but the magnitude of something as “apparently simple” as putting a racing engine in a street car has overwhelmed them. Despite the delays, the Mercedes-AMG Project One is set to be one of the most radical cars in the world.
Having seen it for years at different stages of its creation and development phase, the AMG Project One is close to seeing the light of day. Only a few lucky ones have already had the opportunity to meet him in person, being overwhelmed by the design and the data that such a beast throws up: total traction, more than 1,000 horsepower, and a hybrid V6 scheme taken from the Formula 1 Mercedes that swept the 2017 world championship.
It is estimated that the maximum speed will be around 350 km/h, and that it will be capable of accelerating from 0 to 200 km/h in less than six seconds. Such performance will occur on a very limited basis. Only 275 units will be sold worldwide, each with a price of more than two million euros.. A cost that can go up a little more if requested with extra engines, since the contract will specify that each drive unit will have a useful life between 10 and 40 thousand kilometers. Drunk we don’t know if they were in Mercedes, but a little crazy yes.
