First Look: Mercedes-AMG One

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Wouldn’t you just love to take a Formula One car for a spin? Better yet: how about actually driving one to your local car meet, legally, on public roads? Well, you can come close to doing so if you can fork up about 2.2 million euros (CDN$2.9 million) for a Mercedes-AMG One.

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Actually, scratch that. Even if you do have almost $3 million in your bank account earmarked solely for indulgent frivolities, you won’t be able to get your hands on this highly exclusive F1-based supercar, because all of the 275 examples are already spoken for. Sorry.

But then, maybe it’s better that you keep your dough for something less exotic, since those who have bought a Mercedes-AMG One have been waiting about four years for delivery. Initially called Project One, it was first introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September 2017, and it is finally slated for production this month.

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So, what kind of bang would you get for your buck? For starters, you get 1,035 horsepower out of a Formula One-derived 1.6-litre V6 that’s part of the One’s E-Performance plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The diminutive V6 doesn’t produce all of that power on its own, but is rather assisted by an electric turbocharger that helps boost internal-combustion output to 558 hp.

The rest of the power comes from a trio of electric motors: two at the front axle, each powering a front wheel; and one at the rear of the engine providing additional power to the rear wheels. There’s a fourth 120-hp electric motor that powers the turbocharger, thus eliminating turbo lag entirely. The One can drive for up to 18 kilometres on the electric power provided by its 8.4-kW battery.

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While some manufacturers of mid-engined supercars garnish the engine bay with shiny bits, Mercedes-AMG retains the factory finish of the race parts, so they look almost exactly as the F1 parts from which they are derived. As for the V6 engine, it’s buried deep in the middle of the chassis, surrounded by intakes, turbos, exhaust, and electric motors, and is hidden almost entirely from view.

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The engine is, however, a marvel of F1 technology. It will be the only engine in a road-legal vehicle to feature pneumatic valve springs. Its crankcases are basically replicas of the cases in an F1 car, the main difference being that they are cast rather than machined from a block of aluminum, since the intricate machining of 275 engine blocks would have likely pushed production back even further.

Engine internals are F1 components that have been modified for longevity, since the V6 can spin to 11,000 rpm and must do so for more than just race distance. The electronically shifted seven-speed manual transaxle is a structural element of the chassis. Oh, and F1 tech extends to the wheel hubs, which contain friction-reducing ceramic bearings.

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The biggest challenge for engineers was to make an F1 hybrid drivetrain meet emissions standards. For starters, the idle speed had to be lowered from a race car’s 4,000 rpm; to 1,400 rpm to reduce emissions and sound levels. The titanium exhaust contains massive catalytic converters that are located atop the engine, and they must be preheated electrically on start up for about one minute before the engine will fire, though you can drive away on electric power while this happens.

As you’ve probably seen during F1 races, it takes a team of technicians and a computer connection to start a race car. Technically, firing up the One would require a similar effort, but a powerful onboard computer and some other specific hardware replaces the race team with a start button.

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The modular three-piece chassis is made from carbon fibre, steel, and titanium. A forward section contains the front multi-link suspension; a central monocoque houses the cockpit; a bolted-on rear subframe supports the engine, transaxle, and transverse-pushrod shocks and suspension. The suspension is electrically adjustable from the cockpit, though spring preload is adjustable manually at the shocks. Massive carbon-composite discs provide braking.

The car can be lowered by 37 and 30 mm front and rear, respectively, from standard for race-track use, and it can be raised at the front independently from the standard setting, but only in one of the road-oriented drive modes, to prevent scraping the precious undercarriage when crossing curbs.

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Integrated into the carbon-fibre bodywork are various hydraulically operated aerodynamic elements that comprise the One’s active aerodynamics. Above the front fenders are louvers that raise to evacuate air from wheel wells to increase downforce, and at the rear is a two-piece wing that lifts for the same purpose. These items are part of the One’s DRS (drag reduction system) — it keeps them lowered to reduce drag at high speeds, and lifts them automatically when the car senses lateral force to increase downforce in curves.

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The driving position is as close to an F1 race car as it can be in a street-legal car. Two laid-back racing seats are moulded into the cockpit, with just a thin layer of foam between your backside and the carbon-fibre monocoque. The seatbacks are adjustable to either 25 or 30 degrees, and since seats are not adjustable front to rear, the pedals and steering wheel are adjustable fore and aft. Between the seats there’s a compartment that contains a fire extinguisher.

If you missed out on your chance to own a Mercedes-AMG One, don’t feel too upset. It (obviously) wasn’t available through the regular Mercedes-Benz dealer network, but rather only from the factory, direct, and that’s where buyers will be picking it up. And it can’t be serviced at your local Mercedes dealer, either, since only two specialized service centres will be qualified to do so in North America.

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Of course, if you had been the owner of one of these exclusive, elusive exotics, your name would likely be listed among the upper echelons of motorsports royalty. Mercedes-AMG is keeping the names of the 275 buyers a closely guarded secret, and only a handful of the company’s top management actually know who has purchased one. During a recent visit to see the car in Spain, there was some murmur among AMG people that possibly more than a few current F1 drivers have confirmed their orders. Being that there are only four drivers in Mercedes-powered cars on this year’s F1 grid, that secrecy is understandable.