Mercedes-Benz AMG One takes delivery of its first customer car.
More than five months into production and more than five years after it was first unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the first customer examples of Mercedes-Benz's AMG One hypercar have been delivered.
The first customer example was finished in black and delivered to a customer in Germany.
Only 275 units are planned, with confirmed buyers including Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, and David Coulthard. For those hoping to join that list, despite a starting price of 2,275,000 euros (about $2,572,000), all production slots are gone.
Despite the fact that many production slots went to U.S. customers, AMG was unable to get the car and its temperamental F1 engine certified to be sold in the U.S. without significant loss of performance. There is hope, however, in the form of the Show or Display rule, that U.S. customers will take delivery of the car in their own country.
Production of the One takes place at a dedicated facility in Coventry, England, close to where Mercedes F1 engines are built; F1 engine builder Mercedes-Benz AMG High Performance Powertrains is also responsible for the One's engine.
The engine is a 1.6-liter V-6 turbo, specifically designed after the racing car in which Mercedes won the championship in the 2015 F1 season. But other parts of the One's powertrain are actually more sophisticated than the F1 car. Whereas a racing car has only a V-6 turbo, a motor-generator that drives the rear wheels, and a second motor-generator integrated with the turbocharger, the One has two more motor-generators. These drive the front wheels respectively, giving the One all-wheel drive. Maximum output is 1,049 hp, but the car weighs 3,737 pounds, relatively heavy for a two-seater.
Performance is impressive, with a 0-62 mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 219 mph, likely due to aerodynamics The One also holds the Nürburgring production car lap record, which was wet last fall The One also holds the production car lap record at the Nürburgring, set last fall on a damp track at 6:35.183
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