Mercedes-Benz celebrated the 50th anniversary of AMG at the 2017 edition of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring this weekend, but the seven AMG GT3s gunning for the podium were just part of the excitement. In a darkened trackside room, AMG CEO Tobias Moers pulled the cover off a drivetrain mockup and spilled a few details on the upcoming Project One hypercar.
The Formula 1 connection goes deeper than many have dared believe, with the engine being very nearly the same unit as the one sitting behind Lewis Hamilton in his W07. The exhaust system is more substantial than what an F1 car needs, the redline has been reduced to 11,000 rpm for longevity, and the pistons and crank are tweaked to net a more favorable compression ratio, but that?s about it. It uses the same split-turbo design as the Formula 1 car, with the turbine wheel on the back of the engine, the compressor wheel on the front, and a shaft that connects the two passing right through the valley of the engine. A 107-hp motor around that shaft helps spin the massive turbo up to speed and also acts as a generator. More than the power, Moers said, he?s proud of the Project One?s 43 percent thermal efficiency. Among the greatest challenges of civilizing an engine like this for the street is taming the noise, vibration, and harshness and getting it to idle at a speed that won?t alarm buyers. On the F1 grid, these engines idle at around 4000 rpm, but the Project One will have a more familiar resting heart rate of 1000 to...