Mercedes-AMG ONE Revealed As Most Advanced Hypercar Ever

After what seems like a lifetime, the Mercedes-AMG ONE is finally ready to make its full public debut in production form.

The ONE has been pushed back several times because even the experts at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth struggled to make an F1 powertrain work in a car. It's not as simple as bolting a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 into a mid-engined position. The parameters for track and road use are vastly different, as an F1 car idles at 5,000 rpm - a point far too high for a road-going car needing to comply with emissions regulations. But after nearly five years, the production version of the AMG ONE has been realized as AMG's engineers have fixed all the issues in time to celebrate the performance division's 55th anniversary and prove that even a drunken decision can be a good one.

The result is a two-seater mid-engined supercar with a real F1 V6 engine, four electric motors, and more than 1,000 horsepower, plus an 11,000 rpm redline.

The ONE is a plug-in hybrid unlike any we've seen before. We wondered how far Mercedes would take the F1 connotation and the short answer is all the way. The headline figure is a combined 1,048.7 horsepower (SAE) with the aid of four electric motors augmenting the F1-derived V6 paired to an entirely new seven-speed automated manual transmission - developed exclusively for the AMG ONE - and electric all-wheel drive. That 1.6-liter turbocharged six-cylinder only produces 566 of those ponies, though, arriving at a heady 9,000 rpm. Thereafter, an MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic) electric motor on the crankshaft adds 160.9 hp, while a 90 kW (120.7 hp) motor (MGU-H) spools up the single turbocharger to 100,000 rpm before the exhaust gasses take over. Finally, two electric motors on the front axle produce 321.8 hp, creating an AWD hypercar of extremes. 0 to 62 mph comes up in 2.9 seconds, 0-124 mph in seven flat, and 0-186 in 15.6 before a top speed of 218.7 mph is reached.

In a little more detail, the car's heart is a 1.6-liter V6 engine with electrically assisted single-turbocharging boosting at 3.5 bar. That on its own is not new tech as Mercedes has already showcased the turbo tech in the AMG SL 43. But that's the most normal thing about this powertrain.

The V6 has two fuel injection systems. Direct injection sprays fuel into the combustion chamber at nearly 4,000 psi. The additional port injection is needed to achieve the high specific power of the engine and, at the same time comply with the exhaust emission limits.

To further ensure it passes emissions legislation, the ONE has four preheated catalytic converters, two ceramic catalytic converters, and two petrol particulate filters. To preheat everything, Mercedes uses four heating elements that use 16 kW of power. The result is compliance with all the exhaust emission limits under natural driving conditions.

Mercedes had to tame the F1-derived combustion power unit for increased durability and to meet emissions legislation. This involved lowering the idle speed, dropping the redline from 15,000 rpm to just 11,000, and making sure the engine would start at the press of a button, not with an entire team of engineers to do so. The ONE also has to run on regular pump gas, unlike the high-octane blends used in F1 cars.

Spur gears drive the four overhead camshafts and the mechanical valve springs have been replaced by pneumatic valve springs to achieve high engine speeds. Mercedes says the ONE was deliberately limited to below-F1 levels to ensure longevity, but that hasn't diminished performance.

We're most impressed with the fitment of an MGU-H system. This is the part of an F1 engine that will be dropped in 2026, making it possible for more manufacturers to enter the sport like Porsche and Audi.

In the ONE, the exhaust gas turbine and compressor turbine are positioned at a distance and connected by a shaft so that the engineers can fit the turbo lower down. Instead of a small mild-hybrid system, the ONE uses a 90kW electric motor to drive the turbocharger shaft.

The above leads to a surplus of energy, which doesn't go to waste. Instead, AMG uses the energy from the exhaust gas flow to generate electrical energy. This energy can be sent to the high-voltage lithium-ion battery, the electric front axle, or the 120 kW onboard electric motor, known as the MGU-K. The latter is mounted above the combustion engine and is connected to the crankshaft via a spur gear system.

What an absolute feat of engineering.

The powertrain is integral to the car's handling, however, as the electric motors provide genuine torque-vectoring capability on the front axle. The front motors are also equipped with regenerative braking that can recuperate up to 80% in everyday conditions. The engine and gearbox are structural components, too, sharing load-bearing functions in much the same way as the Gordon Murray T.50 - which revs higher.

The saved energy can be used for increased EV driving range or to improve performance. The battery layout mimics that of an F1 car to increase the cooling potential, and the batteries are further cooled directly via a high-tech coolant that flows around all the cells and cools them individually. It can heat the batteries in colder temperatures, ensuring that the batteries are always within the optimal temperature window of 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is a lot of car, and to keep owners from scrapping it, several systems work in the background to keep things all together. Unlike an F1 car, the ONE has ABS brakes.

Six driving modes are included for various conditions. These include Race Safe, Race, Individual, and EV. These four are road driving modes as you get in a normal AMG. You can go from driving an environmentally-friendly puppy with an 11.2-mile electric driving range to trying to tame a semi-rabid pitbull.

Race Plus and Strat 2 are track-only modes. Race Plus engages the active aerodynamics, firms up the suspension, lets the nannies know you're about to play, and drops the ride height by 1.5 inches at the front and 1.2 inches at the rear. Strat 2 is a qualifying mode for maximum performance, with its name derived from the same mode used in qualifying on Lewis Hamilton's F1 car. It firms the suspension even more, and gives you the full power provided by all the motors.

The various driving modes come with unique suspension settings, but you can also choose between Comfort and Sport while setting up the Individual driving mode.

The stability control has a further three settings: On, Sport Handling Mode, or Off. All three settings are available in the track-only modes, making it quite a baby to drive even with all the power on tap.

The suspension is equally as marvelous, with push-rod spring struts and adaptive damping for both the front and rear axle. Five-link aluminum coil-over suspension helps things stay planted, fully assisted by 19-inch front and 20-inch rear center-locking forged alloy wheels with 285/35 and 335/30 profile Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tired developed for the ONE. Each wheel has a partial cover made from carbon fiber that aids aerodynamics.

Within these wheels, carbon fiber ceramic composite brakes are housed, fulfilling the much-needed job of slowing things down from the inevitable high speeds you'll reach on track. These are not F1-style brakes, but are rather six-piston fixed calipers up front clamping down on internally-ventilated, perforated discs measuring 15.7 inches on the front axle, while the rear axle uses four-piston calipers on 14.96-inch rotors.

From an exterior design perspective, the ONE hasn't changed dramatically from its original concept. There's still a cab-forward stance and direct motorsport influence with prominent wheel arches, a roof scoop for the engine's air intake, and various functional vents all over the bodywork. Aerodynamics directly drove the design process, and functional downforce is produced from just 31 mph.

LED lighting is standard, including LED DRLs formed around the outer edges of the massive front air intakes. Those feed air to the wheel arches for brake cooling, while active louvers on the front arches open and close to manage cooling, airflow, and downforce/lift balance based on a variety of sensors and the driving mode.

Other signature elements that will define the ONE include the central fin with AMG E Performance markings and the gullwing-style doors which open diagonally forwards.

The interior has room for two, in a design theme touted by AMG as "no styling." It's function over form in the purest sense.

The main focal point is the F1 steering wheel; square in shape and with an LED shift display on the upper edge. Like the real deal, it operates the various driving modes via the integrated AMG drive unit and even has DRS and push-to-pass buttons for extra power and speed. Not skimping on legalities, it has a built-in airbag.

The seats are fixed buckets molded into the monocoque with Magma Grey Nappa leather and black Dinamica (microsuede) padding accented by yellow contrast stitching. Other colors are available. While the seats are fixed, the steering column is power-adjustable and the pedals have 11 settings to find the ideal driving position.

Mercedes-AMG stripped the ONE of all frivolities, even removing the rearview mirror and replacing it with a camera feeding a small roof-mounted display screen. As for the other two screens in the cabin, a main 10-inch screen handles typical infotainment duties and is angled towards the driver, while a Burmester sound system provides some aural distraction from a wailing F1 engine should you decide you don't like that sound. Mercedes gives you two mini USB ports for external audio devices.

The slim wing profile beneath the 10-inch instrument display is a structural component, as it stiffens the car's monocoque.

Even the door cards have been simplified for basic carbon fiber panels, while a simple rectangular metal panel houses window switches and air conditioning vents.

Originally priced at $2.8 million, only 275 will be made. Whether that price has since changed is unknown.