The Mercedes AMG Concept ONE: The Reincarnation of a Legend

Celebrating 50 years of AMG, Mercedes’ nuthouse for producing ridiculously outrages, outlandish and tech gripping cars. While also playing a crucial role in the field of motorsport, in particularly Formula 1. Have unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show the Mercedes AMG Concept ONE, an F1 race car for the road. The Concept One provides an insight into the future, the future of AMG, the future of motoring and the future of hybrid technology. This next generation hypercar is due for release sometime in 2019 and is going to be priced at around the 2-million-pound bracket. Lewis Hamilton is currently aiding in the development of the project and will be the test driver for ensuring that the Concept ONE meets the high expectations required by AMG. That being said, it will have to as the competitors engulfed in this heated battle are no joke. The McLaren Senna and the Aston Martin Valkyrie are all in the game for coming out on top.

Tech Stats:

The tech stats on the Concept One are out of this world, equipped with an all-wheel-drive drivetrain, with high tech engineering involved: incorporating an electric motor in each front wheel, but the engine is that harnessed from Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car. A turbocharged 1.6 litre V6 with direct injection and to increase the longevity of the Concept One redline is limited to 11,000 rpm, slightly decreased from the standard 13,500rpm range of the F1 race cars. The engine is capable of producing over 1,000bph, achieving 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds and a 217mph top speed. Where the Drive system includes a total of four electric motors, capable of a staggering 50,000 rpm. The combustion engine working in conjunction with the electric turbocharger means that this show car obtains significantly more drive energy per litre of fuel.

While also confined inside the bowels of the machine is an 800-volt lithium-ion battery, where the whole car weighs just only 1,300kg. In which the chassis is built around the W07 Mercedes-Benz AMG F1 race car, made entirely out of carbon-fibre. To further add, each of the electric motors at the front axle delivers 120 kW, and each has a tiny gearbox to permit torque vectoring. Which is found sitting behind the engine an all-new 8-speed, single clutch, transmission and, above that, the exhaust system which, unlike the F1 version, has a silencer and catalytic converter but retains the single tailpipe. The battery cells, their configuration, connectors and direct cell liquid cooling are all a direct lift from F1. However, the 800-volt high voltage system (contained in two battery housings on each side of the car) has four times the capacity used in Formula 1. The higher voltage level reduces voltage losses, not least in the cables. It also allows significantly shorter charging times with a constant current level.  Project One’s driving programs will even have an all-electric mode with just the front axle driven, giving a range of up to 25km. The most extreme ‘dynamic’ mode, on the other hand, will apparently adopt settings used in F1 to achieve the best possible lap times in qualifying.

The workings of the engine and the electric motor:

The engineering for the engine is exactly the same as you would find in Mercedes’ F1 cars, Air is fed into the engine by a combined mechanical and electrically-driven turbocharging system with the exhaust turbine located near the exhaust and the compressor near the roof-mounted air intake. They’re joined by a long shaft to which is connected an 80-kW electric motor. This primes the turbocharger to eliminate lag and, according to AMG, the V6 produces faster responses than a naturally-aspirated V8. The electric motor also recovers waste exhaust energy which can then be used to replenish the hybrid battery block or directly drive the MGUK (Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic); another electric motor positioned on the side of the crankcase and directly connected to the crankshaft. It can either drive the crankshaft, adding 120 kW to the power tally, or be driven by it.

Everything found on the Mercedes AMG Concept One plays a crucial role and purpose, it has no excess fat. Technologies such as all-wheel drive, an automated 8-speed manual transmission, and a high-performance carbon ceramic braking system ensure dynamic handling and an exhilarating driving experience. Inside, the cockpit has a stripped-back, functional aesthetic that underlines its motorsport pedigree. Every part has a specific purpose, from the two free-standing 10-inch displays to the contoured bucket seats, finished in slip-resistant black microfibre and Nappa leather, with a sporty textile mesh to optimise air circulation. Nothing goes to waste in the Concept One, what this car is… is the future. Every manufacturer at some point states that their new and upcoming releases are going to redefine the automotive industry. But Mercedes, on the other hand, made no promise. What they did instead was prove and showcase how and with what they’re going to redefine the industry with, AMG CEO Tobias Moers said “we are the first to make F1 technology roadworthy” and this is the sort of forward-thinking that’ll ensure the car as an entity won’t be forgotten. Mercedes’ heritage and knack for creating revolutionary ideas and technology have, once again, been showcased and it’ll truly be something breath-taking to see when Lewis Hamilton will start testing the Concept One and putting it through its paces in the coming year.

In essence, the Mercedes AMG Concept One is a complete game changer for the future of motoring, a direct carbon-copy of the technology used in f1 put into a road going car. Obviously, technology from racing has also been implemented into road-going cars in the past, but nothing quite like this has been witnessed in a road car before. Its competitors from McLaren and Aston Martin have got their work cut out to outrun and outgun the AMG Concept One, where this behemoth is somewhat of a reincarnation of the classic and the mighty CLK GTR race car that dominated the racing world some 20 years back.