Although Formula 1 cars no longer race at the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife, it seemed like only a matter of time of before AMG’s F1-inspired hypercar, the Project One, showed up to the track for some testing. And it didn’t exactly go to plan. The spy photographers report that the breakdown occurred just outside the track entrance, about to 2 km away from AMG’s new test center.
The pictures show the hypercar pulled over
to one side on a roundabout with a, we imagine, very displeased handler looking
in. The benefit of the breakdown is that our spy photographer did manage to get
in pretty close to the car, revealing the interior and its F1-style square
steering wheel with its rev light on at the top and a wealth of carbon fiber.
Even more interestingly, the tester seen
here has the same flowing red and black lines on the wheel-top vents as the
demonstration cars we’ve seen in previous AMG promotional material. The shots
of the rear, meanwhile, reveal the hydraulic actuators that will move the
active rear wing.
The Project One will be the first
performance hybrid car from AMG, according to no less an authority than Sir
Lewis Hamilton. It will share its engine with the F1 cars that brought him to
six of his world championship titles. That means a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6
engine with four electric motors that will combine to churn out more than 1,000
hp and will allow the Project One to hit a projected top speed of 217 mph.
