Mercedes-AMG reveals its headlining ONE hypercar ahead of a start to customer deliveries for the spectacular F1-inspired hybrid-powered 2-seater by the end of the year.
Initially previewed in concept car form at the 2017 Frankfurt auto show, the coupe is the most powerful Mercedes-AMG road car to date, mating a modified version of the company’s turbocharged 1.6L racing V-6 delivering up to 566 hp to four electric motors with a combined 603 hp for a total system output of 1,049 hp.
With a top speed limited to 219 mph (353 km/h) it’s also the Mercedes-Benz performance-car division’s fastest-ever production model – eclipsing the official 214 mph (345 km/h) of the 24-year-old CLK GTR coupe built by AMG between 1998 and 1999.
The ONE is the result of a collaboration between Mercedes-AMG’s regular road car operations based in Affalterbach, Germany, and the company’s High Performance Powertrain division in Brixworth, U.K., as well as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team in Brackley, U.K.
To be produced in a run of no more than 275 – all of which already are accounted for at a price of $US2.75 million – the all-wheel drive hypercar has encountered a troubled gestation, with emission compliance of its high-tech drivetrain at the root of the delays in its introduction, which originally was planned for 2019.
The basis of the advanced rival to the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Ferrari SF90 Stradale is a carbon-fiber monocoque with an integrated steel roll bar. It supports a large rear subframe structure for the gasoline-electric drivetrain and rear chassis in a grid tube frame design made out of carbon fiber and titanium.
The body, a combination of carbon fiber and composite plastic, has been developed for maximum downforce with active elements for the cooling ducts at the front end and louvers on top of the front wheelhouses as well as a two-piece extendable rear wing with an extendable wing blade and flap (pictured, below). A longitudinal fin arcs over the rear bodywork to prevent cross flow or stall at the rear.
There are three different aerodynamic modes: Highway, Race Max Downforce and Race DRS (Drag Reduction System).
Cooling also plays a key role in the new car’s appearance with a prominent airbox above the cabin and sizeable extractors at the rear to draw hot air out of the engine bay.
The center-locking 19-in. front and 20-in. rear wheels, standard in forged aluminum and optional in forged magnesium, feature carbon-fiber elements to smooth airflow and aid heat dissipation from the brakes and wheelhouses. They’re 10-ins. wide at the front and 12-ins. wide at the rear and are shod with 285/35 ZR19 and 335/30 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R M01 tires developed specifically for the new car.
The One is 190.1 ins. (4,829 mm) long and 79.0 ins. (2,007 mm) wide. A wheelbase of 107.1 ins. (2,720 mm) together with tracks measuring 67.8 ins. (1,722 mm) at the front and 65.7 ins. (1,669 mm) at the rear and minimum ride height, provide it with a suitably squat stance.
The turbocharged 1.6L gasoline V-6 develops peak power of 566 hp at 9,000 rpm, some 2,000 rpm shy of a claimed 11,000-rpm ignition cut out, according to AMG. To ensure it satisfies all existing emission and noise regulations, it also receives electrically heatable catalysts, gasoline particulate filters and a titanium rear silencer.
Overall power is put at 1,049 hp. By comparison, the Valkyrie develops 1,160 hp, with the SF9 Stradale offering 986 hp.
Mercedes-AMG does not quote a torque figure for its most powerful road car yet, saying, “the complex nature of the drivetrain does not allow a representative figure.”
A claimed curb weight of 3,737 lbs. (1,695 kg) provides the ONE with a weight-to-power ratio of 3.56-lbs./hp. Mercedes-AMG claims 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, 0-124 mph (200 km/h) in 7.0 seconds and 0-186 mph (300 km/h) in 15.6 seconds.
Drive is sent through an automated 7-speed manual gearbox featuring hydraulic operation, a 4-disc clutch and steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. The longitudinally mounted unit forms part of the load-bearing structure, channeling the ONE’s prodigious power to an AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system with an electrically driven front axle, hybrid-driven rear axle and torque vectoring properties.
Electric energy used to run the two front-mounted electric motors, which each send their drive through a fixed-ratio gearbox, is stored in an 8.1-kWh lithium-ion battery. It operates at 800V, providing the ONE with a claimed electric-only range of up to 11.2 miles (18 km) in front-wheel drive mode on the WLTP test cycle. Charging can be achieved at up to 3.7kW on an AC system.
There are six driving modes: Race Safe, Race, EV, Individual, Race Plus and Stat 2 – the latter two reserved for race circuit running only.
On top of all this, there also is a charge button. It allows the driver to supplement brake-energy recuperation with charging of the battery via the combustion engine.
Underpinning the ONE is a race-grade push-rod suspension in a 5-link design both front and rear, each with transversely mounted dampers, adjustable struts and wheel bearings with ceramic ball bearings for less friction than conventional steel bearings.
The driver can choose between Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race Safe and EV modes – the most extreme of which lowers the suspension 1.5 ins. (38 mm) at the front and 1.2 ins. (30 mm) at the rear. The traction control system, meanwhile, offers nine stages of engagement.
The interior of the One (pictured, above) is trimmed in a combination of synthetic leather and carbon fiber. The thin, non-adjustable seat squabs are mounted directly to the floor of the monocoque, placing the driver and front-seat passenger as low as possible in an inclined position with hips positioned below the height of feet. The seatbacks offer adjustment at 25 and 30 degrees.
Two rectangular digital displays – one for the instruments and another for car data and infotainment functions – are mounted to the dashboard. A digital interior rearview mirror operates via a rear-mounted camera in the absence of a rear window.
A central storage compartment houses two USB-C ports. There is no provision for luggage storage, though smaller items can be stored behind the seats and above the center console.
