AM_07_Octubre

In 1997, it took AMG‘s engineers just 126
days to design and build the awesome barely
street-legal CLK GTR. Two decades later, the
gestation process of the Project One hypercar
has been a more longwinded affair, and it began
with AMG’s divorce from McLaren. That split
meant that, sooner or later, Mercedes’ performance
division would have to come up with an in-house
replacement for the SLR. True, AMG GT did
accomplish its volume sales and brand-shaping
objectives, but even the GT R version - 577bhp
, 198mph - isn’t a hard-core supercar, let alone a
hypercar capable of shifting the class benchmarks.
AMG had to deliver nothing less then a black
hole of awesomeness. A machine more out rages
than even the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari, and
the ultimate fusion of combustion engine and
performance electrification, a game-changing vision
of the future harnessing all that AMG knows about
extreme, F1-bred performance engineering.
Originally known as the X1, and provisionally
dubbed AMG R50 to celebrate Affelterbach’s 50th
anniversary, the project began in late 2014, about
a year after long-time AMG man Tobias Moers
replaced Ola Källenius at the top of the Mercedes
satellite.
In early March 2017, a fiberglass model without
an interior was shown to selected customers at the
Geneva motor show. The private viewings took
place in an anonymous, cordoned-off tent on the
lawns of the high-end La Réserve hotel, where
the gun metal over black two-seated hypercar was
heralded by Moers as the next giant leap for the
high-performance automobile.
From A pool of more than 1000 applicants,
Mercedes excepted six figure deposits from 275
Wheels aren’t
pretty but offer
low weight and
drag, so they
got the nod
carefully selected friends of the house - running a
sizable Mercedes truck and bus fleet, shepherding
a flock of Maybachs and buying G 65‘s in bulk on a
regular basis must have helped your case. The price
is €2.275m Plus taxes, and just 275 will be built.
Before the first cars are delivered in early 2019, 12
pre-production Prototypes will be demolished in
EU and US crash tests.
“ as far as passive safety is concerned, we’ve pulled
out all the stops,” says Tobias Moers. “ there will
be at least four airbags - maybe six - and the
Monocoque is extremely strong.”
Shaped by Gordon Wagner, who’s recent works
include the flamboyant vision 6 concepts, Project
One is a striking piece of performance sculpture.
Less extreme than Aston’s ValKyrie and far more
track orientated and the Bugatti Chiron, X1 is
visually and in content in a similar league to the
Koenigsegg Regera and the future McLaren BP23
three-seater. The most striking feature is perhaps
the long aero fin claimed to enhance the directional
stability at very high speeds. Wide and low, the
new car is pure F1 Coke bottle in plan view, with
uncluttered flanks and low-drag wheels. Smoothly
integrated into the beautifully sculpted architecture
slim LED headlights, bigger-than-expected doors,
smaller-than-expected air takes and several active
aero elements. Upfront, we find a pair of selectively
blocked louvres; at the back, two flaps and the dual
mode wing balance lift and downforce.
MERCEDES AMG-PTOJECT ONE
➢Price €2.275m puls taxes
➢Engine 1600cc 16v V6 with e-driven turbocharger, plus
three e-motors, 108bhp (1134bhp in overboost)
➢Transmission 8-speed automated manual all-wheel drive
➢Performance 2.6sec 0-62mph, 218mph(limited)
Suspension Double wishbones, pushrods
➢Weight 1200kg
➢On sale Sold out, first deliveries early 2019
Unlike the record-setting Nio EP9, which is all
purpose I know comfort, the X1 must cater for Rich
poseurs as well as for professional races. Common
to both cars (and to LaFerrari) is the blend of fixed
seats and adjustable pedals. Sounds straightforward,
but isn’t.
“ since our top managers Dieter Zetsche and Ola
Källenius are rather tall, we had to extend the
package no less than three times,” explains Moers.
“ legroom, headroom and visibility have now old
been approved by the board, at last.”
The driver can also alter the position of the steering
column and the backrests, and there are three
different seat sizes to choose from. While certain
elements of the Mercedes infotainment system look
familiar, the feed from the roof mounted reversing
camera is displayed in the rearview Mirror.
Instead of a conventional instrument cluster, AMG
opted for two LED monitors, one in front of the
driver, the other in the center stack. The quartic
steering wheel (The Austin Allegro lives on) is
equipped with two controllers; one to tweak vehicle
dynamics, the other for more prosaic functions.
Cabin space isn’t exactly abundant, but there are
door pockets, A cubbyhole for your house keys
and small recesses behind the seats; Big enough for
swimming trunks, a bikini and a couple of spare
T-shirts. The materials of choice are carbon fiber,
various metals, leather, microfiber, textile mash and
signature yellow stitching. It’s a purposeful driving
environment; minimalist in places, comprehensive
elsewhere. The detail we can’t wait to put our finger
on is the start button, which lives between the seats,
next to the window controls.
Push that button of buttons and your garage will
be transformed into a formula 1 pit in a heartbeat.
Though the 1.6-litre V6 does sound a little like the
power unit in Hamilton’s company car when revved,
it lives down the decibel Ladder - rampant blipping
of the throttle doesn’t trigger a rainstorm of paint
chips from the ceiling.
“ it certainly plays it’s own tune,” says a pensive
Moers. “ but the turbocharger still makes a lot of
noise, and the exhaust note at high revs is, well, not
quite legal yet.”
As you would imagine of a car tasked with putting
a F1 powertrain through a McDonald’s drive thru,
Project One is a highly complex animal, taking
modularity to a new level. Highlights include a steel
platform supporting a carbon fiber tub, adjustable
multi-link suspension with transverse pushrods and
a spring/damper unit replacing the anti-roll bar.
Then there’s all wheel drive with torque vectoring,
rear-wheel steering, magnesium wheels with
featherweight aero blades and no fewer than five
different calling circuits...
(engine, transmission, batteries, e-motors and
charge air).
The car wears bespoke 285/35 ZR19 (front) and
335/30 ZR20 (rear) Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres.
Hugging the inside of the 10 spoke wheels are gold
calipers straddling sombrero size carbon-ceramic
disc’s. The rear suspension assembly bolts to the
engine and transmission; The front suspension and
the two electric motors are supported by a compact
subframe.
Hidden beneath this striking shape are four electric
power plants. Two drive the front wheels, one is
attached to the V-6 engine via helical gears and
the last sit inside the turbo charger, where it splits
the cool compression side from the hot exhaust
element. Capable of revving to 100,000rpm, this
80kW e-motor all that illuminates turbo lag while
kicking but whenever you floor the throttle. In
F1 slang, it’s known as the MGU–H, or motor
generator unit heat. Another F1 related windfall, the
so-called MGU-K (Motor generator unit kinetic),
generates electric energy that can be stored or
passed on to feed the 120kW motor, which sits on
the combustion engines crank. Each e-motor is
governed by its own performance electronics, intern
masterminded by the central ECU.
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