Amg One Road Legal
Do you remember the Mercedes-AMG Project One? It was first introduced as a concept in 2017 and is literally a legal Formula 1 (F1) car for the road. The challenges of developing such a vehicle, which is legal for the road, are monumental, which is why it took five years for the final production version to be released. Finally, in 2022 we now have the Mercedes-AMG One, and that`s all we expected from one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 and more. At its first unveiling, Mercedes said the 275 units that will be produced were mentioned despite the offer price of $2.72 million each. Unfortunately, none of these legal Formula 1 hypercars on the road are sold to U.S. customers due to local regulations. The Mercedes-Benz AMG One hypercar finally goes into production, almost five years after the concept was unveiled and two years after the first production version hit the road. Mercedes has taken the decision to offer the car for road traffic in Europe, where it complies with current regulations. The power of the One (pictured) comes from a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.6-liter V6 with two turbochargers and four electric motors.
This configuration is somewhat surprisingly legal on the road in Europe, in part due to a surprisingly complicated exhaust after-treatment subsystem consisting of four metal catalysts, two ceramic catalysts, and two gasoline particulate filters. There is still no word on what it would take for the hypercar to comply with U.S. regulations, nor on the impact that federalization would have on performance. While the news is likely to disappoint fans, that doesn`t mean the One will never spin a wheel on the American sidewalk. Remember: the Bentley Bacalar and McLaren Speedtail are also not legal on the road in the US, but if you`re (really) lucky, you might see one at a car and coffee event. That`s because they can be imported and registered here through a loophole called Show or Display, a law passed in 1999 that applies to cars that meet the federal government`s definition of “historical or technological significance.” If the One falls under that umbrella, and it`s too early to say if that will be the case, homeowners in the U.S. will be limited to 2,500 miles per year on public roads. Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, acknowledged the challenges they faced in the development of the hypercar: “With the Mercedes-AMG ONE, we are more than exceeding our limits. The immense technical challenges of creating a modern Formula 1 powertrain suitable for everyday use have undoubtedly pushed us to our limits. In this context, Jochen Hermann, Technical Director of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, added: “This project has been partly a blessing and a curse at the same time”, with both managers congratulating the team on their performance.
“Highway” is the default mode in which the slats are closed and the front flaps are extended. The rear spoiler is also retracted in this mode. “Track”, on the other hand, adds five times more downforce by folding down the front flaps, opening the slats, completely extending the rear spoiler and lowering the suspension by 37 mm at the front and 30 mm at the rear. Finally, as this is an F1 car for the road, a low drag mode “Race DRS” reduces downforce by 20%, but this makes your car more slippery in the air and makes it easier to overtake opponents. If you`ve always wanted to own a legal Formula 1 car on the road, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG One essentially addresses that. “Although its engine has its origins in competition, the constant development and refinement presented us with a difficult decision for the American market. To maintain the uniqueness of its F1 powertrain, we concluded that meeting U.S. road standards would significantly affect its overall performance and driving character,” AMG wrote in a letter to customers published by CarScoops. The impressive powertrain that has banned One from U.S.
roads is a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 and four electric motors. Unfortunately, none of these legal Formula 1 hypercars on the road are sold to U.S. customers due to local regulations. Let us support things a little. For the most part, this is the same car engine as the 1.6-liter turbo V6 housed in the Mercedes-AMG W08 EQ Power+ race car. Exactly what Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas drove in the 2017 F1 World Championship. Similar to the latest F1 race car, the upcoming AMG homologated on the road with all-wheel drive has MGU-K (Engine Generation Unit – Kinetic) and MGU-H (Engine Generation Unit – Heat) functions. It is the system that allows it to reserve electricity. It is also known as an energy recovery system (ERS). And it went up to the rear with the rest of the powertrain. “To maintain the uniqueness of its Formula 1 powertrain, we concluded that meeting U.S. road standards would significantly affect its performance and overall driving character.” The design of the Mercedes-AMG One remains true to the concept.
It is almost unchanged since the release of the first prototype, with only the rear slightly reworked to have a longer lip above the taillights. Other small changes can be found in its rear diffuser housing, which includes triple exhausts as well as removable carbon fiber engine covers with NACA air intakes. Of course, when switching to a vehicle homologated for the road, the side mirrors are much larger than those of the concept car. The wheels have also been redesigned as they now use a 10-spoke forged aluminum design with carbon fiber aerodynamic covers. A set of 9-spoke magnesium forged wheels with a patented bionic design and hubcaps is also available as an option. These wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R M01 tires that measure 285/35 ZR19 at the front and 335/30 ZR20 at the rear.
