Mercedes-AMG has reveled the first details of their highly-anticipated Project One show car, a high-performance hybrid said to feature the very latest, fully-fledged Formula 1 technology 'almost par to par' with the power unit Lewis Hamilton uses on race weekend.
Project One was developed in-house by Mercedes-AMG in collaboration with engineers from Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (Mercedes' engine building division) and designers for Mercedes-AMG Petrons Motorsport team. The three entities also worked on the AMG GT electric concept released earlier this year.
"The Mercedes-AMG Project One is the first Formula 1 car with MOT (WOF) approval," said Ola Källenius, Member of the Daimler AG Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.
"Our highly efficient hybrid assembly stems from motor racing and the electrically powered front axle generates a fascinating mixture of performance and efficiency."
Powering Project One is the same 1.6-litre V6 hybrid petrol engine and electrically assisted turbocharger found in a Mercedes Formula 1 car. Mercedes-AMG say the high-performance plug-in hybrid system has also come directly form Formula 1, but in Project One guise, delivers drive to all four wheels with via four separate electric motors.
The battery cells, their arrangement and the cell cooling system are the same as in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 car. But Mercedes-AMG have added more battery cells in the Project One to make it more practical for everyday use.
The engine also features a Motor Generator Unit Heat (MGU-H) system which uses the heat exhaust gases leaving the turbocharger to generate electricity by channeling the hot air through a special shaft, spinning a compressor turbine at speeds of up to 100,000rpm. Mercedes-AMG's MGU-H design is thought to be one of the key elements behind their engine dominance in the hybrid Formula 1 era.
The petrol and hybrid units have a combined output of over 740kW (1000hp) resulting in acceleration from 0 - 200km/h in under six seconds and a top speed of over 350km/h. Project One also have a pure electric range of 25km.
Helping to achieve those acceleration times is a new all-wheel drive system. The front axle is fully-electric driven with two 120kW motors at each wheel. The full-electic setup allows for torque vectoring with each wheel able accelerate and brake individually. The electric motors are also able to recuperate braking energy to charge the hybrid system. Mercedes say up to 80 per cent of braking energy can be used in everyday driving conditions.
Power is transferred to the rear wheels by an 8-speed hydraulic transmission that has been developed from scratch for the Mercedes-AMG Project One.
Porject One's chassis comes in the form of a lightweight, high-strength carbon-fibre monocoque body, but the engine and transmission both have load-bearing functions and completely support the multi-link rear suspension.
In the cabin there's a pair of 10-inch displays positioned behind a F1-styled steeringwheel with controls for driving modes, suspension setup and integrated airbag.
"The Mercedes-AMG Project One is the hottest and coolest car we have ever designed," said Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler AG.
"This hypercar’s extreme design marks a milestone in design ‑ there are no lines, and the interior is stripped down to the essentials."
Mercedes AMG will only build the Project One in left-hand drive configuration, with a production run of 275 units. The asking price is said to be in the region of $2.27 million Euro (NZ$3.74 million).
All build slots have been allocated, but buyers' will have to wait a little while longer to experience the hybrid hypercar for themselves.
Project One still has 18 months left in its development programme before the first production examples are delivered to customers.
Mercedes-AMG Project One technical data
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Mercedes-AMG Project One show car |
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Rear-wheel drive |
1.6-litre V6 with direct injection, four valves per cylinder, four overhead camshafts and electrically boosted single turbocharger, electric motor connected to the crankshaft |
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Displacement |
1,600 cc |
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Rear-wheel drive output |
> 500 kW |
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Front-wheel drive output |
2 x 120 kW |
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System output |
> 740 kW (> 1,000 hp) |
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Electric range |
25 km |
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Drive system |
Variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with hybrid-drive rear axle, electrically driven front axle and torque vectoring |
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Transmission |
Automated AMG SPEEDSHIFT 8-speed manual transmission |
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Acceleration 0-200 km/h |
< 6 secs. |
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Top speed |
> 350 km/h |
