AMG entered the electrified performance segment as early as 2013 with the small-volume SLS Electric Drive with four electric motors and no combustion engine. A new wave of PHEV and EV sports cars is coming under the “E Performance” banner and is starting with the recently introduced AMG GT 63 SE Performance.
The next-gen C63 will also get a charging port in the next few months, but by far the most exciting one will be the One hypercar. As a concept shown at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 2017, the series-ready model suffered several setbacks during the development phase, with AMG having to postpone delivery to customers more than once. Fortunately, Autocar has learned from the three-pointed star that production will finally start around the middle of next year.
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No further details were given, but we do know that all 275 cars have long been sold to wealthy buyers eager to reach the height of AMG engineering. Equipped with an adaptation of the masterful Mercedes F1 engine from 2017, the $ 2 million One will be an all-wheel drive monster with four electric motors and a 1.6-liter turbo V6 that has a combined output of over 1,000 PS generated.
Two electric motors drive the front wheels, one is built into the turbocharger and the fourth sits directly on the combustion engine with a connection to the crankcase. When the Project One debuted four years ago, AMG promised a 0 to 124 mph (200 km / h) run in less than six seconds and a top speed of over 217 mph (350 km / h).
The center-mounted V6 spins up to 11,000 RPM, which is 4,000 RPM lower when compared to the F1 spec drivetrain. It is a known fact that AMG struggled with idling speed of 1,200rpm and admitted that getting it down from the 5,000rpm of the Formula 1 engine to that always was an “enormous challenge” Meet stricter emissions regulations.
Similar to the concept before, the production version should have a purely electric mode, which in the case of the Project One offered a range of 25 kilometers from the lithium-ion battery. The show car from Frankfurt was presented with an eight-speed automatic transmission connected to an internal combustion engine that was converted to super fuel instead of racing gas.
Apart from problems with lowering the speed of the 1.6-liter engine for the street-legal car, AMG also had problems with the noise of the V6, as it was originally too loud for a production vehicle. As you can imagine, reliability was also a major concern when adapting the F1 spec powertrain to the street version, which requires an engine overhaul every 50,000 kilometers. However, we can’t imagine many owners driving the hypercar extensively as most of the ones are likely to be locked in an air-conditioned garage.
When the One finally arrives in series form, it could claim the title of fastest production car at the Nürburgring. In 2018, AMG went so far as to say that it was able to set the absolute record, which would be nothing short of remarkable if you consider that the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, which Timo Bernhard only drove on the racetrack, achieved an astonishing lap time of 5 minutes and An average speed of 145.3 mph (233.8 km / h) was driven for 19.55 seconds.
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