Forget all the naysayers, Mercedes-AMG's Project One hypercar looks out of this world when you see it rolling down the road, as this video posted to YouTube confirms.
And just imagine rolling in this thing knowing you have a Formula 1 engine backing you up. That's an actual F1 engine and not an F1-derived engine. In fact, it's the same engine Mercedes-AMG F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg scored their recent world titles in.
Unfortunately, we don't get to hear the engine just yet as the Project One in the video gets around in electric mode only.
Aston Martin Valkyrie in near-production form
Rather than go the all-out-extreme route Aston Martin's designers have taken with the rival Valkyrie hypercar, AMG's designers wanted the Project One to approach the comfort and usability levels of one the tuner's regular models.
And for anyone thinking the car looks too much like the McLaren F1—probably not a bad thing, really—go back and look at Mercedes' CLK GTR. The 1990s-era homologation special also came with butterfly doors and a roof-mounted hood scoop.
The Project One is basically a race car with a slight semblance of civility. AMG thinks the car even has a chance of breaking the all-time Nürburgring record of 6:11.13. We'll remind you that the current production car record for the 'Ring is the 6:47.3 set by the Porsche 911 GT2 last year.
1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR - image: RM Auctions
AMG hasn't released full details yet, but we know the car will have over 1,000 horsepower from a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 and four electric motors. The engine gets mated to an electric motor that helps send power to the rear wheels. There's a second electric motor integrated with the turbocharger to help spin its compressor early. And then for additional power and traction there are two more electric motors powering the front wheels.
The reveal of the Project One last year at the Frankfurt auto show helped to celebrate AMG’s 50th anniversary. The car, whose actual name is yet to be revealed, is also a precursor to the new hybrid performance route the Affalterbach tuner is taking.
Just 275 will be built and all build slots have been sold. The Project One's starting price, not that it matters much for the car's potential buyers, is $2.8 million. The first deliveries are due in late 2018 or early next year—about the same time Aston Martin will start deliveries of the Valkyrie. The ensuing battle will be wild.
