It's official! Mercedes-AMG has just announced that their Formula 1 based hypercar – the R50 or better known as ‘Project One’ – will take a bow at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. The German carmaker has teased yet another vague image of the Project One with additional information ahead of its world premiere.
The Project One will be powered by a fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid powertrain. The two-seater hybrid-hypercar will breathe out over 1000 horsepower and will be capable of a top speed exceeding 350 kmph. Although the Stuttgart-based carmaker is calling it the “two-seater supersports show car”, it will be a near-production prototype of the hypercar.
The Project One will have an engine that has been derived from the F1 dominating 2015 Mercedes W06. The turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 mill sits just ahead of the rear axle. The F1-style intake on top will tower over the driver’s seat just like in the Formula 1 car. The F1engine is charged by split electrically-assisted turbochargers that sit on each of the banks. It is driven by a single input shaft that runs between the banks.
Then there is the synchronized hybrid powertrain that takes the power output beyond the 1000 horsepower mark. The internal combustion unit is adjunct with electric motors. The two powertrains are synchronised by electronics and software to provide the highest output possible at every moment. Mercedes promises that it will last 50,000 kilometres between rebuilds with a rev limit of above 10,000 rpm. The suspension set-up is also scrounged from the F1 car.
Mercedes has assured us that the Project One will be a road-legal vehicle and not a track-only tool like the Ferrari FXX. The Project One will rival the likes of Aston Martin AM RB 001, Koenigsegg Regera, and the holy trinity of Ferrari La Ferrari, Porsche 918, McLaren P1.
Most of the 300 cars to be built will have been sold out for the price tag of 2 million Euros (approx Rs 18 crore). Deliveries are expected to start in late 2018. Stay tuned to CarWale for an exclusive coverage of the Mercedes hypercar and more from the Frankfurt stage.
