An F1 car for the road – this is the shortest and probably most accurate description of the Mercedes-AMG One, which finally made its debut in production form several hours ago. The hypercar uses a legit Formula 1 engine – a 1.6-liter V6 internal combustion mill that spins to a glorious 11,000-rpm redline – which is capable of 566 horsepower (422 kilowatts) and still meets the Euro 6 emissions standards. But there’s much more hiding underneath the sleek skin of the One, and a new video by Top Gear tries to unhide all the little secrets.
Putting an F1 engine in a street car may sound like a relatively easy job. The German engineers probably thought the same – although they might’ve been drunk while taking the decision to build the AMG One – but in the end, the work required to transform the hypercar from a concept to a production vehicle took Mercedes-AMG no fewer than five years. The machine is going to be produced in the UK and the first customer deliveries are planned for later this year. With one combustion engine and four electric motors, it is surely going to be a tricky one for production.
Gallery: 2023 Mercedes-AMG One
Speaking of the electric motors, it’s worth elaborating a little. Two motors are located on the front axle, one for each wheel generating a combined output of 322 hp (237 kW). The third motor is installed within the combustion engine, sending another 161 hp (120 kW) to the crankshaft. Last but not least, the fourth motor is tied to the high-tech turbocharger, adding 121 hp (90 kW) to the mix and eliminating any signs of turbo lag. If this setup doesn’t sound incredible enough, consider this – each of the front-mounted electric motors can spin at up to 50,000 rpm.
There’s no better source of information about the most powerful and fastest road-legal Mercedes in history than its project lead. In the video at the top of this page, the man who knows literally everything about the AMG One joins the host to provide some very interesting details from behind the curtains. Hilariously, though, no one at AMG can tell the exact torque figure of the powertrain because of the “complex drivetrain.”
