A 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Is Already for Sale, Many Haven't Even Had Theirs Delivered

Mercedes unveiled the Project ONE back in 2017. It was this sleek automobile, designed in the name of aerodynamics. It was rounded and sharpened in all the right places, featured active aerodynamics, and Formula 1-infused tech. It had everything to become a major hit. And it did!

The model was sold out even before Mercedes revealed the production version. But little did the engineers know that planting a Formula 1 engine into a street car would turn out to be a headache that no medication could cure in the years that followed.

"We must have been drunk when we green-lighted the ONE," the Mercedes CEO, Ola Kallenius, said in the spring of 2023, regretting every step of the development up to that moment. Well, they got sober in due time and finally started delivering the long-awaited model.

The Mercedes-AMG ONE is powered by a very sophisticated system that worked in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas racing cars in the turbo hybrid era. It was the system that powered the F1 W06 racing car in the 2015 season. That year, Lewis Hamilton went on to win his third Drivers’ Championship with that car. The runner-up was his teammate, Nico Rosberg.

The engineers working on the powertrain for the street-legal ONE have gone through hell and back. Yes, the Green Hell of Nurburgring, too, during the (very long) development stage.

Developed in Brackley, at the factory of the Formula 1 team, the 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engine would run together with four electric motors for a total of over 1,000 horsepower. But that rev better would be about to blow up even when the engine idled. Furthermore, the KERS energy recovery system also carried over from the F1 car, and wasn't that easy to transplant into a street-legal car.

And that was not all. As tame as a 1.6-liter engine would sound, during development, it turned out to be way too loud for the European and American streets. So Mercedes had to come up with something that would silence it down.

Mercedes-AMG first announced a delay in production for the fall of 2021. And then a new one. And a new one. The first car was eventually delivered in January 2023. But it was one of the 275 scheduled for production.

But when it was finally over, it was a beast. It came with 1,049 horsepower (1,063 metric horsepower). But there is no word on the torque of the model as Mercedes claims it is impossible to measure due to the ultra-sophisticated drivetrain, which moves a car that weighs 1,695 kilograms (3,737 pounds).

The numbers are steered to both axles via a seven-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission. The needle of the speedometer can hit 352 kph (219 mph).

The ONE rides on 19-inch wheels at the front and 20-inch units at the rear with a ten-spoke design and NACA carbon fiber openings for ventilated carbon-ceramic brakes cooling and increased downforce. They sport semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires.

The ONE flashes from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) in 2.9 seconds, takes 7 seconds flat to hit 200 kph (124 mph), and needs 15.6 seconds for 300 kph (186 mph).

Mercedes reportedly required customers who reserved an example to sign a contract that restricts them from selling the hypercar for an undisclosed period of time after delivery.

That period must have expired for this one owner who is already selling the hypercar. There is no word on the pricing, but Mercedes announced a price of 2.75 million euros before any options. However, it is the 'if you have to ask, it means that you can't afford it type of car.'

The car is not street-legal in the US. Mercedes refrained from tuning the V6 to make it compliant with the regulations in the United States. The tweaks would have a negative impact on performance.

Therefore, those who have already reserved a car will be able to import it under the 'show and display' law, which imposes a mileage limitation of 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) per year.

We would not be surprised if the car now for sale at a dealership in Dubai would be the first car delivered by Mercedes-AMG back in January 2023. They are painted in the same black with Petronas green accents. The one in Dubai comes with a cabin covered in carbon fiber, leather in alcantara, with contrasting stitching.

Whoever takes this home will be one of the only 275 owners who can get their hands on it. Not anyone can brag about having the most powerful street car that Mercedes has ever built.