As you would expect, it turns out that building a road-going car that's based on a Formula 1 racer is easier said that done, and is something that Mercedes-AMG has recently learned the hard way.
Dubbed the 'Project ONE', this hypercar has taken the German performance specialists a little while to get right, after missing the initial mid-2020 reveal date that was promised.
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Given the fact that Formula 1 engines are designed to be rebuilt after each race they run, converting one into a road-going engine that has to last years on the road is no easy feat.
The engine in question is a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 hybrid, almost identical to the ones currently found in F1, and with the ability to rev up to 11,000RPM. Despite its lack of cylinders, it does a great job in imitating engines with double its amount.
Tipped to produce over 1000HP, this boosted mill will rely heavily on the electric motor system to fill in the torque gaps at low rpm.
“I can still hardly believe that there will soon be a hypercar with a Formula 1 engine,” said Hamilton at the time. “We won the world championship with this engine in 2015, and I was involved in its development for a long time. I was able to drive the Project One during the film work for the new campaign, and I’m very proud of the extraordinary effort Mercedes-AMG has invested in this project. This car is absolutely unique.”
Despite the build delays, AMG still managed to sell all 250 build slots for the Project ONE, with each rumoured to sell in the region of $4 million.