Mercedes-AMG has unveiled what is being called the world’s most extreme car, which promises to bring Formula One technology to the road.
The Project One boasts a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engine at its core, a development of the power plant used to drive Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to their F1 World Titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
According to Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers, the Project One can reach 200km/h in “less than six seconds”, making it the fastest-accelerating production car in the world. This puts the Project One ahead of the McLaren P1 (0-200kmh in 6.8s) and Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (6.7s), as well as Tesla’s P100D (10.7s) and run-of-the-mill high-performance models such as BMW’s M4 coupe (10.1s).
To weed out the enthusiast collectors from the speculator on the hunt to make a quick buck, Mercedes demanded a hefty $500 000 deposit to secure an example of the car, with the substantial price tag of €2.27 million (approximately R35.62 million) to buy the real thing.
The Project One also offers a plug-in hybrid performance for the track and street, allowing it to move around town without causing a commotion.
In addition to this, Mercedes says that eight per cent of the braking load in normal driving will be carried by the vehicle’s electric motors, which helps boost its battery and minimises wear and tear. But it also comes with carbon ceramic brake discs, bespoke calipers and top-of-the-range ABS and ESP systems.
Mercedes also claims the Project One as the highest-revving vehicle of the modern era, reportedly “easily” reaching “speeds of 10 000rpm”.
World champion Lewis Hamilton was on hand to unveil the concept model at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday.
It is reportedly very close to being the final product but in need of some fine-tuning, with Mercedes still working to finalize power outputs and fuel economy figures amongst others.
“The Project One team is working hard on successfully bringing this vision onto the road,” Mercedes assured those salivating at the thought of getting behind the wheel of their latest beauty.
Watch below.