Daimler R&D boss Ola Källenius added: “The Mercedes-AMG Project One is the first Formula One auto with MOT approval”. Revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show last night, the new vehicle was unveiled by Daimler and Mercedes boss Dr Dieter Zetsche, with a little help from three-times F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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Additionally, Mercedes installed two electric motors, each producing more than 161 horsepower, on the front axle of the Project One, thereby giving it a virtual all-wheel-drive system with true torque-vectoring capabilities. But while most hypercars have one or two electric motors, this one has four, borrowing directly from the W08 F1 vehicle.
Each front wheel gets its own electric motor, allowing for insane torque vectoring, but the internal combustion engine gets two electric motors too.
Thus, the Project One packs the best of both worlds, and when the automakers say the best, they mean it. “It combines our design philosophy of Sensual Purity with the performance of our Formula 1 racing cars and is the ideal embodiment of Performance Luxury”, said Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler. Voltage has been doubled from 400 volts to 800 volts too, which Mercedes says allows space saving by reducing cable diameters, and the battery system lies on the floor behind the front axle.
The hypercar from Mercedes is projected to arrive in 2020 and it promises a performance that is purely insane.
All of this is worked through a 4Matic all-wheel drive system after going through a brand-new eight-speed automated manual transmission.
While there will be an electric motor powering the crankshaft and the other will be paired with a turbocharger.
Built at Mercedes-AMG’s High Performance Powertrains unit in Brixworth, England, the powerplant can recuperate up to 80 per cent of the energy on throttle lift-off. The hydraulically actuated gearbox can do its own shifting or change gear via steering wheel-mounted paddles.
It’s understood that the package was extended three times – not least because Mercedes top brass Dieter Zetsche and Ola Kallenius are tall, and the legroom, headroom and visibility had to be signed off by the board. Lessons learned from the electric SLS and, more recently, the GT R with its race car-style traction control have been applied here. It comes with a F1-style steering wheel with flattened upper and lower sections and a minimalist interior, with every detail serving a objective and nothing included merely for aesthetics.
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercar concept. It scores the same F1 hybrid technology from the race track and is a fitting tribute to celebrate AMG’s 50 anniversary.
Ever since the early days of motorsport, engineers have dreamed of bringing motor racing technology to the road. No idea, but we can already guess that it’s well over one million Canadian dollars.
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Project One gets classic mid-engine proportions with a low and short nose, a cabin positioned well forward within the wheelbase and a long, flowing tail, while its surfaces are characterized by fuller forms in keeping with the appearance of the latest generation of Mercedes-Benz models.
