Hear and see the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hypercar hit the track

Mercedes-Benz AMG is keen to remind us that its One hypercar is still coming, even though it has been a painfully long period since the car was shown in concept form at the 2017 Frankfurt International Motor Show.

The company has released a new video of the One being pushed to the extreme on a racetrack. Like us, you’re probably dying to know what the car and its Formula One engine will sound like, and thankfully the video doesn’t disappoint.

No surprise that the car sounds like a real F1 racer. Why? For those who’ve been stuck under a rock for the past four years, the AMG One uses the exact same engine found in the current crop of cars raced by the Mercedes-Benz AMG F1 team. It’s a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6, specifically the unit from the championship-winning race car from the 2015 season.

The One actually features a more sophisticated powertrain than the F1 car, though. While in the race car there’s only the turbocharged V-6 and a motor-generator driving the rear wheels, plus a second motor-generator integrated with the turbocharger, the One has two additional motor-generators, one driving each of the front wheels. The particular setup means the One has all-wheel drive. Its battery is also big enough to enable an electric-only range.

All of the performance comes together to make some pretty spectacular specs. System output is over 1,000 hp, which will be enough for a top speed of around 217 mph (likely limited by aerodynamics); 0-60 mph acceleration in well under 3.0 seconds; and 0-124 mph acceleration in under 6.0 seconds.

The One was originally due in 2019 to take on Aston Martin’s Valkyrie hypercar and introduce a new era of electrification at AMG. However, the Affalterbach squad has conceded that it underestimated the difficulty of getting the One’s F1 engine to behave like a road car’s engine, though the company is confident the car will be delivered with its promised specs.

One of the biggest issues was getting the engine to start and idle like a regular car, i.e. without a team of F1 engineers on hand. AMG has also confirmed that the One’s engine won’t rev to 11,000 rpm like the F1 version, due to a lack of high-octane race fuel at gas stations but also to boost the engine’s longevity. Mind you, Aston Martin’s Valkyrie has also been delayed from its originally promised 2019 launch.

The good news is that the One is on track for the start of deliveries in 2021, according to AMG. Reigning F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is helping put the final touches on the car and has previously expressed an interest in developing his own specification, a potential “LH” special edition. Production of the One will be capped at 275 units.