Almost seven years after the concept was revealed, the Mercedes-AMG One finally made its debut in production form at the end of May. Forbidden fruit in the US because regulations would hamper performance, the F1-powered hypercar was delayed a few times as engineers struggled to meet emissions regulations. Having an F1 engine idle at 5,000 rpm certainly didn’t help, and getting it down to 1,200 rpm was quite a challenge.
That’s in the past now, as the AMG One is finally ready to be delivered to those 275 customers who have had to wait patiently for what is essentially an F1 car for the road. Mercedes’ performance division organized a dedicated event in Immendingen where owners had the opportunity to test drive the hybrid machine. YouTuber Rana65556 was among those who ordered the car, and he decided to document his trip in German by shooting a video.
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AMG One project manager Marco Lochmahr provided a technical tour of the AMG One with its active adjustable aerodynamics and 1.6-litre V6 engine bolted directly to the carbon monocoque chassis. To meet emissions standards, the ICE uses a preheated catalytic converter. How it works? The hypercar always starts in electric mode and can only switch to gasoline after about 50-60 seconds once the catalytic converter has reached optimum temperature.
The powertrain looks exceptionally complicated once you remove the two panels incorporating NACA vents and ducting. We also find that there is a switch mounted to the left of the adjustable pedal box that should be used to depressurize the gas tank before refueling. Installed on the right side of the car, the fuel cap opens automatically when the procedure is complete.
Marco Lochmahr also goes through ride modes including Race+ to deploy the louvers in the fenders and rear wing while the ride height is lowered. With the combustion engine running, the AMG One is exceptionally loud, to the point that it seems like having a conversation with the passenger would be a real challenge.
Even though it’s a full-fledged hypercar with 1,049 horsepower and a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration of 2.9 seconds, it still has a boost function. It’s technically called Pass mode, similar to a race car, and it shifts the AMG One to the lowest possible gear for maximum acceleration performance. It can be activated in all drive modes to unleash the full potential of the hybrid powertrain.
How many of them will actually be driven remains to be seen, but those who use their hypercars properly already know that the combustion engine needs to be rebuilt once every 50,000 kilometers (about 31,000 miles). The ICE revs at 11,000 rpm and produces 566 hp on its own in a car that weighs a relatively light 1,695 kilograms (3,730 pounds). It needs seven seconds up to 124 mph (200 km/h) and peaks at 219 mph (352 km/h).
These staggering numbers should lead to another impressive figure as everyone expects Mercedes-AMG to set a new Nürburgring record for the fastest production car.
