Mercedes-Benz is using the Paris Motor Show to highlight its AMG performance arm, and now we know that its plans go even beyond its GT supercars, including the GT R and freshly-debuted GT C Roadster. At a pre-show press conference, AMG dropped the bombshell that it will enter the most extreme segment in the auto industry, by building a hypercar, and we have exclusive details on how much the car will cost, and when we can expect it.
First off, this is really the closest thing in the world to a road-going F1 car, much like the upcoming Aston Martin AM-RB 001. It will have a 1.6-liter turbo engine, rear-wheel-drive, and a fast-discharge electric hybrid system like the racer. Expect similar power to the Mercedes racecar, around 1000 hp.
In talking with Tobias Moers, head of Mercedes-AMG, we're able to shed some light on Affalterbach's ultimate halo. First, we have an idea of when to expect the car. "Two years," Moers says, adding first deliveries would occur in "late '18 or '19."
Moers didn't give speed numbers or targets, but did say "it's not something we'll be chasing for." The AMG head insinuated that this would be an ultra-performance Formula 1 car made legal for the street, but they're not looking to get involved in the top-speed wars. It will be more than adequate, with an intense focus on dynamics and thermal engineering.
"This is a very ambitious project, and it took us a while to figure out how it works, and how we can do it." Moers says the AMG hypercar won't share a platform, and that "everything is dedicated in this car, it's all new."
That said, Moer insists the car will be reliable, not a fragile collector car. "If you really examine a deep dive on the life of a Formula 1 engine and overlay that with the life of a road car engine, it's not that dissimilar. The stresses a Formula 1 engine goes through in its life cycles are incredible, especially compared to the stresses in a road-car engine...there are some small things that we would have to change, but they are smaller than you might think."
The engine won't hit the 15,000 rpm plateau that we see in Formula 1, but "It will still rev out to more than 10,000 rpm, closer to 11,000 as a road car," said Moers. Which is incredible. The car will also feature technology that's banned in F1, like active aerodynamics.
While the price gap between the new AMG king, the GT R, and Affalterbach's future hypercar is substantial, Moers made it clear that no other car is in development that would come between the two.
And speaking of price, we asked Moers if this was a million-dollar car, or more in the mult-million stratosphere with the Bugatti Chiron and Aston Martin AM-RB 001. "A little less than those," he said referring to the ultimate hypers. "Maybe $2 million, or a little under." Moers added that there was still a lot of time until exact and final pricing would be decided, but the timing to announce the car was right. "It opens up the future of AMG. Then it's up to us to define the future of performance, and hypercars."
Michael Taylor contributed additional material to this report.
Related Video:
First off, this is really the closest thing in the world to a road-going F1 car, much like the upcoming Aston Martin AM-RB 001. It will have a 1.6-liter turbo engine, rear-wheel-drive, and a fast-discharge electric hybrid system like the racer. Expect similar power to the Mercedes racecar, around 1000 hp.
In talking with Tobias Moers, head of Mercedes-AMG, we're able to shed some light on Affalterbach's ultimate halo. First, we have an idea of when to expect the car. "Two years," Moers says, adding first deliveries would occur in "late '18 or '19."
"Everything is dedicated in this car, it's all new."
Moers didn't give speed numbers or targets, but did say "it's not something we'll be chasing for." The AMG head insinuated that this would be an ultra-performance Formula 1 car made legal for the street, but they're not looking to get involved in the top-speed wars. It will be more than adequate, with an intense focus on dynamics and thermal engineering.
"This is a very ambitious project, and it took us a while to figure out how it works, and how we can do it." Moers says the AMG hypercar won't share a platform, and that "everything is dedicated in this car, it's all new."
That said, Moer insists the car will be reliable, not a fragile collector car. "If you really examine a deep dive on the life of a Formula 1 engine and overlay that with the life of a road car engine, it's not that dissimilar. The stresses a Formula 1 engine goes through in its life cycles are incredible, especially compared to the stresses in a road-car engine...there are some small things that we would have to change, but they are smaller than you might think."
The engine won't hit the 15,000 rpm plateau that we see in Formula 1, but "It will still rev out to more than 10,000 rpm, closer to 11,000 as a road car," said Moers. Which is incredible. The car will also feature technology that's banned in F1, like active aerodynamics.
While the price gap between the new AMG king, the GT R, and Affalterbach's future hypercar is substantial, Moers made it clear that no other car is in development that would come between the two.
"Maybe $2 million, or a little under."
And speaking of price, we asked Moers if this was a million-dollar car, or more in the mult-million stratosphere with the Bugatti Chiron and Aston Martin AM-RB 001. "A little less than those," he said referring to the ultimate hypers. "Maybe $2 million, or a little under." Moers added that there was still a lot of time until exact and final pricing would be decided, but the timing to announce the car was right. "It opens up the future of AMG. Then it's up to us to define the future of performance, and hypercars."
Michael Taylor contributed additional material to this report.
Related Video:
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue