Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: Time for Tea?
It's been three months since the reveal - and Mercedes-AMG's idea of a street-legal F1 car still staggers us
Mercedes-AMG's latest film delves into a little more detail about the remarkable engine, with no lesser figure than Tobias Moers, explaining that for all the tweaks required for legal, turnkey status, the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 is still built in the same machine shop as the F1 unit, with the same crankcase and cylinder head, and will still rev to an astonishing 11,000rpm.
No less pleasing is the reminder that the V6 is very much homegrown; it being a product of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, which is still based in Northamptonshire. Thus we get Simon Wilding, head of the automotive division at HPP, to talk us through the extensive hybrid system and the opportunities it now affords in a road car.
Finally there's the challenges of designing something to fit around this 1,000hp petrol/electric powerplant. Something which still needs to incorporate some of the creature comforts expected of a street-legal hypercar costing €2.27m - even if its real function is becoming a 'rollercoaster ride you control', as Lewis would say.
I have no idea why the companies are bothering to build these things. They are going to be unusable on the road, and because of thier value are all essentially destined to spend thier lives nurtured inside warm garages rather than being driven, for fear of hurting residual values.
If the Merc F1 team has enough time to make a road car, that tells you something..........
If the Merc F1 team has enough time to make a road car, that tells you something..........
Add in the stuff that's already out there, such as the new Gumpert - it could be a bloody superb premier class for Le Mans.
I have no idea why the companies are bothering to build these things. They are going to be unusable on the road, and because of thier value are all essentially destined to spend thier lives nurtured inside warm garages rather than being driven, for fear of hurting residual values.
These projects increase the perceived value of the brand.
I'm fairly sure the business case would have included predicted incremental volume due to the halo effect.
The F1 engine fully aligns the F1 position with the road car world. In reality you should be asking why Mercedes wouldn't do this.
Of course, at just 11kprm peak there is no need for air valve springs, but to convert to coils would mean a new cylinder head casting etc which would be expensive and mean that marketing couldn't crow on about "it's an F1 engine" (which, btw it isn't!)
It's a car with an F1 derived engine - it won't be an F1 engine because folk will get bored with the service light coming on 1/2 way to the shops. Nothing else about it is F1, it has too many seats, windows etc, not enough wings.
So it has an F1 derived engine, like a hundred Ferraris before it, the BMW 2002 & even the Hillman Imp if you really want to push it.
Sure it'll be impressive, but the F1 connection is just marketing guff.
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