Mercedes-AMG One Reportedly Trying To Beat The Nurburgring Lap Record

After years of issues and setbacks, the Mercedes-AMG One is finally nearing production, and we’ve been seeing more and more of the Formula 1-engined machine in action lately. Our first glimpse of the One was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and now the £2.5million hypercar has been spotted flying around the Nurburgring in what appears to be preparation for a record-breaking lap attempt.

When Mercedes-AMG announced the performance figures of the production-ready One, many hypercar fanatics were pretty underwhelmed. A 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds and a 0-124mph time in seven seconds were claimed along with a 219mph top speed, but that’s hardly groundbreaking by today’s standards. The car also weighs in at a hefty 1,696kg, which is far from the sub-1-tonne weight of a Formula 1 car it shares its engine with.

For some context, the Porsche 911 Turbo S can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds and supposedly reach 0-124mph in just 8.1 seconds, all the while costing a fraction of the One’s £2.5 million price tag at £168,000 before options.

On paper, it looks like the Mercedes-AMG One may have a tough time beating the 6 minutes and 43 seconds record lap time set by the Manthey Racing-tuned Porsche GT2 RS. However, the footage captured by CarSpyMedia shows the One putting down some seriously impressive pace at the ‘Ring, and the team at Mercedes-AMG wouldn’t waste time if they didn’t think there was a chance of breaking the current record.

The 1.6-litre turbo-hybrid V6 Formula 1 engine has been through a lengthy five-year development process to reach its current roadworthy stage. However, following a series of delays, setbacks, challenges and even a global pandemic in the mix, AMG’s finest engineers, likely tired, frustrated and fed-up with looking at this forsaken machine, have finally built a production-ready car. Hallelujah.

The engine, derived from Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car, is the beating heart of the Mercedes-AMG One, albeit with some modifications to make it road legal. To preserve the long-term life of this incredible power unit, the team at AMG Engine Works in Brixworth has limited the engine’s revs to 11,000rpm, though we can’t imagine anyone being too upset with that increidble redline figure.

The V6 still incorporates genuine F1 tech, such as an electrified turbocharger and the MGU-K and MGU-H units, which generate additional power from otherwise wasted energy sources such as exhaust gases. Speaking of power, the V6 alone produces 565bhp at 9,000rpm, which combines with Mercedes-AMG’s Championship-winning hybrid system to produce 1,048bhp. As mentioned, though, it’ll need to propel nearly 1,700kg.

See also: The Mercedes AMG E63 S Final Edition Marks The End Of An Era

If the car’s owner wants to drive the F1-blooded machine in zero-emissions mode, it’ll travel around 11 miles on battery power alone - far enough to get around Monaco with ease. Just 275 units of the £2.5 million road car are being built, and it’ll compete against Gordon Murray’s Cosworth V12-powered T.50 and the glorious-sounding Aston Martin Valkyrie for the title of this decade’s greatest hypercar.