Mercedez Benz and AMG presented the Project One concept car at IAA in Frankfurt, Germany this Monday. The hypercar is a celebration of the performance automaker’s 50th anniversary, for which it includes Formula 1 technology under the hood. Only 275 vehicles will be made, costing $2.7 million each in 2020.
Essentially, Project One units will include hybrid components from Mercedes’ Formula 1 race vehicles and their powertrains, and they will be capable of reaching speeds close to 350 km/h while generating 1,000 horsepower.
The limited-production hypercar is a rare revival of the motor industry’s craft of taking race track achievements and developments and putting them in street vehicles for a few lucky consumers. Production will start in 2019 but pre-orders are yet not available.
Project One brings Formula 1 power to the streets
Mercedes-AMG works as an enhancement partnership focused on performance. AMG puts special attention to the optimization of parts and accessories, while Mercedes delivers on the long-standing tradition of world-class cars it has always made.
The Project One is the latest result of this match made in heaven, this time with an extra side of collaboration courtesy of Formula 1 experts working for the professional racing arm of Mercedes. This time is special, however, since it is the 50th anniversary of AMG.
Thus, the Project One packs the best of both worlds, and when the automakers say the best, they mean it. A 1.6-liter V6 engine with direct injection and four valves per cylinder makes the car go while generating 1,000 horsepower on the motor racing side of things.
As per Formula 1 standards, competing vehicles must reduce their footprint by implementing hybrid technologies that optimize energy consumption and use. This is why, like its race track brothers, the Project One also has an electric system component that gives it an additional range of 25 km and works together with the fuel engine.
Mercedes-AMG has made the vehicle so fast that they don’t measure from 0 to 60 mph anymore. The hypercar will reach 200 km/h (124 mph) in just 6 seconds, and will reportedly reach speeds close to the 350 km/h mark (215 mph).
Drivers and co-pilots will get to experience the power of the Project One only if they know how to drive stick shift, since the car comes with an AMG Speedshift 8-speed manual transmission and variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive mode.
Motorsport fans and luxury enthusiasts will both rejoice at the Project One, but that won’t be enough to get their hands on the wheel of one: they will need to stay updated on the latest from Mercedes-AMG, and have a spare $2.75 million to spend on one of the 275 models that will be made starting this 2019.
Source: Daimler