Lewis Hamilton reveals the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE hypercar

It's finally here...

Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance car division has joined the exclusive ranks of high-end hypercar manufacturers with the unveiling of a spectacular new US$2.7 million (£2.08m) 992bhp-plus coupé known under the working title Project One.At an event on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show, Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton drove the new car on stage, to be greeted by Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche.The new model has been produced to provide a direct link between the German car maker’s successful F1 racing activities and its road car arm. It is powered by
a significantly reworked version
 of the turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 petrol engine and electric motor set-up currently used by the W08 F1 race car, as driven by Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche

Speaking about the electrified car at the event, Zetsche said: "This vehicle will make all the performance cars at Mercedes and AMG look small. In 40 years I have never witnessed as much hype at Mercedes as there was with this car. After we showed the silhouette at Paris we had calls the next day to buy them.""AMG's future does not depend on petrol, but on hybridisation and electrification too. This car gives an outlook for the future of AMG. Our task is not just to reinvent the automobile but to redefine mobility."Hamilton added: "No-one's really done this [making a race car for the road] until now."

Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche

Performance numbers quoted by Mercedes-AMG give the carbonfibre-bodied hypercar's a 0-124mph time of 6.0sec off to a top speed of over 218mph. However, Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers says final certification has yet to be carried out on the new coupé since there is still a further 18 months of development before the first cars are due to be delivered to owners.“The hypercar is the most ambitious project we have ever undertaken,” Moers said. “It represents a highlight in the strategic development of Mercedes- AMG. We call it a concept, because obviously we don’t have any certified data for things such as emissions and so on [at the moment]. The finished car will be pretty similar.”

The new car has an electrically powered front axle that gives it four-wheel drive in more performance-oriented driving modes.A large lithium ion battery mounted low in its carbonfibre body is set to give the sleek two-seater with a claimed electric range of up to 16 miles in front-wheel-drive E-mode. This will allow the car to perform short journeys
 at low speed with zero emissions by obviating petrol engine power.

Recharging the battery is performed both by using kinetic energy created under braking and coasting and also by plug-in means via an 800V electric system.Revealed in concept car guise at a media party on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show, the production version of the car will be made in a limited run of just 275 examples. The first car 
is scheduled to be delivered during the second quarter of 2019, according to Moers.

Despite a unit price of €2.27 million (US$2.7m and £2.08m at current exchange rates), the order book for the car is said to be fully booked up already.Engineering for the Project One is being carried out by a joint programme between AMG in Affalterbach, Germany, its High Performance Powertrain sister company located in Brixworth and the F1 team in Brackley, both in England.

“It elevates the standard for what is technically possible to a whole new level with a combination of performance and efficiency that is the absolute benchmark,” 
said Moers.Having already revealed the car’s driveline and chassis at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in April, the first in a series of running prototypes of the Project One has hit the road in testing.

The styling of the Project One is heavily influenced by the cooling needs of its F1-sourced driveline and aerodynamic needs. It is based on a carbonfibre monocoque structure and every air intake and panel is designed to maximise the throughput of air and generation of downforce. A large wing deploys from the very rear of the bodywork at a set speed to enhance the latter.

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: Interior

Inside, the Project One provides seating for two in what Moers described as a “highly functional” interior that borrows various features from the snug cockpit of the W08 race car. There’s also a newly developed F1-style steering wheel with LED lights signalling the engine revs together with controls for the individual driving modes and suspension settings.

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: Interior

A digital screen takes the place of the rear-view mirror, providing real- time video of the rear view via a system called MirrorCam.

Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: Engine

Central to the Project One is a compact, mid/rear- mounted, turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 petrol engine from Mercedes-AMG’s W08 F1 car, tuned for everyday use. Developed at Mercedes-Benz’s High Performance Powertrain division in Brixworth, England, it is supported by four electric motors.One motor is used to drive the turbocharger. A further, larger motor integrates directly into the driveshaft at the rear in a layout similar to the MGU-K (motor generator unit — kinetic) used in the current generation of F1 cars. The remaining two motors sit within the front axle, providing front wheel drive.

The four-valve-per-cylinder gasoline engine sets new series-production records with an ignition cut-out set some 2000rpm higher than any existing road car’s, at a heady 11,000rpm. The front electric motors are also claimed to spin a full 30,000rpm higher than those of any current production car, at 50,000rpm.In an attempt to give the new AMG model the rabid throttle response typical of an F1 car, the Project One’s electrically driven turbocharger adopts a similar operating procedure as the MGU-H (motor generator unit — heat) used within the driveline of the F1 car. It is claimed to reach 100,000rpm on full throttle loads.

The MGU-K converts mechanical and heat energy into electrical power that can be stored for later deployment and the MGU-H also takes heat from the exhaust and uses it to create electrical energy.The V6 petrol engine produces more than 858bhp and the driveshaft- mounted electric motor contributes a further 161bhp to the rear wheels. in the front, the two electric motors deliver a combined 322bhp. The purely electric-driven front axle features a similar torque vectoring function to that developed by AMG for the 2013 SLS Electric Drive.

Combined, the petrol engine and electric motors deliver an output of more than 992bhp. Drive is channelled to the rear wheels via a new hydraulically operated eight-speed automated gearbox with remote steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles, and offers the choice of either automatic or manual modes.The petrol engine, electric motors and gearbox are claimed to weigh 520kg together. No official kerb weight for the car has been revealed so far but Moers said rumours suggesting it would hit the scales at close to 1000kg are premature.Underlying the new Project One is a race-grade chassis with an adjustable multi-link set-up with pushrods both front and rear — the latter attached directly to the engine block. It goes with 19in front and 20in rear centre-lock alloy wheels shod with 285/35-profile tyres in front and 335/30s at the rear.As with current AMG models, the Project One offers a switchable ESP stability control system offering three modes: ESP On, ESP Sport Handling Mode and ESP Off. Braking is via standard carbon- ceramic discs, with specially developed calipers. Moers is confident that owners will find it easy to enjoy driving the hypercar, and argues that you won’t have to be a superstar driver to handle its performance.“You open the door, hit the start button and drive. Easy,” he said. “We have the most modern technology. The [AMG] GT R is very innovative regarding ESP functionalities. The hypercar is going to have the next level. Controlling two individual motors on the front axle: we know how that works. We initially developed it with the SLS Electric Drive. Everything about torque vectoring: we know what we can do.”