The Mercedes-AMG Project One has been delayed again, and production of the hypercar has now been pushed to 2022. That’s going to make the 275 people who reserved one very sad. At least those reservation-holders can look forward to piloting the hypercar soon in Forza Horizon 5, along with the rest of us.
That is, until actual production of the Project One gets started next year, or maybe the next. Who knows at this point? Mercedes-AMG did reach out to its Project One buyers, who paid just over $2.6 million, and confirmed that production is planned for next year, according to Autocar UK.
This marks another bump on the road to putting a Formula 1 engine in the body of a street-legal car. The delays have reportedly come from trying to tame the Project One’s F1 engine at idle and from stricter emission standards. Motor Authority reports the car has been subject to not one, but two different regulations since its announcement in 2017.
Four years feels like a lifetime ago in terms of production cycles, and it’s actually been so long that similar hypercars from other carmakers have been announced. The Project One is now just another hybrid hypercar that makes outrageous power, like the Aston Martin Valhalla or the Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
But the Mercedes-AMG’s claim to fame is still intact since the Project One hasn’t abandoned its 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 powertrain. That’s the same engine that has powered Mercedes’ Formula 1 machines to victory since 2015, so despite delays, it’s still a cool and outrageous car.
The hybrid powertrain will combine a 1.6-liter V6 engine with four electric motors. One of these is mounted on the engine’s turbocharger, while another is mounted to the crankshaft. The remaining two electric motors ride on the front axle. The engine will reportedly have an 11,000 RPM redline and will make over 1,000 horsepower.
The Project One will have a top speed of 217 miles per hour and will get up to 60 mph in under three seconds. It’ll more than double that to 124 mph in under six seconds. Mercedes initially said that the Project One would have about 16 miles of all-electric range, but that’s not clear now. If Mercedes-AMG manages to stick to that number, the Project One will have greater range than EV(ish) hypercars that came after its announcement, which is good for Mercedes but bad for the state of hybrid hypercars.
