Project ONE: Mercedes Builds an F1 Car for the Road
This week marks the start of the Frankfurt International Motor Show, and with it a whole new batch of debuts and concept vehicles from the world's manufacturers. Things might just be kicking off, but it seems there's one car that's already stolen the show. Say "hello" to the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE.
After several years of establishing itself as the dominant constructor in Formula 1, Mercedes has put its racing know-how to use by creating one of the most insane hypercar concepts we've ever seen. Heavily inspired by F1, the Project ONE blurs the lines between road car and race car and is laden with technology developed by Mercedes' F1 engineers. And like modern F1 cars, electric power is a big part of the formula, with four electric motors and a mid-mounted turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 that spins up to 11,000 rpm.
Together, the powertrain is good for over 1,000 horsepower and will propel the car from zero to 200 kilometers per hour in just six seconds and to a top speed of 217 mph. On top of that, the Project One is capable of going up to 15 miles on electric propulsion alone.
Other F1-derived technology abounds, from the carbon fiber chassis tube to the advanced suspension, eight-speed gearbox and regenerative braking capabilities. It's an envelope-pushing automobile to say the least.
Although being called a show car at this point, production is not far off, with an estimated price of $2.7 million U.S. and limited production numbers, you can count on every single example being spoken for.
This is not the first road car to be inspired by a racing machine, but the Project ONE might be as close as you can ever get to having a two-seat, street-legal Formula 1 car in your garage. We cannot wait for a chance to see this groundbreaking car in action.
(Photos courtesy of manufacturer)
