The launch of the Mercedes-AMG Project One is edging ever closer following confirmation that track testing of the wild Formula 1-powered hypercar has started.
While speaking at the ongoing New York Auto Show, Mercedes AMG boss Tobias Moers said testing of the 1,000 hp hybrid powertrain has started at a number of race circuits and at the brand’s proving ground. He also said that the engineering work for the engine is being handled directly by the automaker’s F1 team in the UK.
The hypercar’s powertrain will start with the same 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine as the Mercedes F1 car. A number of modifications will be made to ensure it is reliable on the street but even still, Moers says it will rev to 11,000 rpm and deliver even more power than it does in the race car, Autocar reports.
As with the F1 racer, the Project One will also utilize both MGU-K and MGU-H recovery systems. The first converts mechanical and heat energy into electrical energy while the MGU-H system creates electrical energy from the heat of the exhaust.
According to Moers, “We will have four electric motors – one for each front wheel, one on the crankshaft and one on the engine turbocharger. We will use the same ‘perfomance’ battery cells as the F1 cars, which have advantages and limitations; but we will still be able to deliver 30km of EV range. And our target for kerb weight is 1300kg ‘DIN’.”
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