Another day, another Nürburgring lap record broken. This one’s significant though, because it’s the bragging rights for the fastest production car outright. Not the fastest saloon, not the fastest EV, not the fastest plug-in hybrid diesel crossover hatchback with a St. Bernard on board, just the fastest thing with number plates. That honour goes to the Mercedes-AMG One, which has shaved over five seconds off the previous record time, set by *checks notes* the Mercedes-AMG One. Oh.
Yep, two years after its limited-run hypercar – the first thing to successfully put a modern Formula 1 powertrain in something road-legal, albeit with some difficulty – smashed the production car record, Merc has returned to the Green Hell for another go.
Mercedes-AMG One – rear
According to Maro Engel, Mercedes DTM racer and AMG brand ambassador, “Two years ago, the conditions were not ideal, and some sections of the track were still a little damp.” It was with that in mind that Engel once again headed out onto the serpentine 12.9-mile-long course, this time on a perfectly dry September day with ambient temperatures in the sweet spot of 15 degrees celsius.
Three laps in, he clocked a time of 6min 29.090secs, making the One the first road-legal car to dip below the 6min 30sec mark. Previously, it had managed a 6min 35.183sec lap.
Mercedes-AMG One – front
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the One is so rapid. Using a modified version of the same 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 that powered Merc’s staggeringly dominant 2015 Formula 1 car, in conjunction with two electric motors and a pair of F1-style motor generator units, it churns out a total of 1048bhp. Other key bits of tech include much active aero, including a drag reduction system, pushrod suspension, and a powertrain that acts as a stressed member of the chassis.
It’s a bit more good news for a car that’s otherwise been best known for its long, expensive and troubled development, although the One has now been in production for a couple of years and the planned run of 275 is steadily making its way to customers.
Mercedes-AMG team celebrates the One’s record
We’re not sure of anything else in the pipeline that might be able to accept the Nürburgring gauntlet thrown down by the Mercedes-AMG One. Maybe the Mercedes-AMG One could have a go.