Photo: Daimler AG, edited by autoevolution
You might want to take the following with a slight pinch of salt, but keep in mind that part of it is anchored in real life.
The 2018 Mercedes-AMG Project One, internally known as the R50, might pull a McLaren F1 on the hypercar world and come fitted with a central driving position.
In theory, this would also make it a three-seater, like the McLaren F1, with each of the two passengers riding shotgun on the driver's sides.
From where do we get this seemingly unbelievable piece of news, you ask? Well, the Aussies at Motoring recently had a friendly chat about the Project One with none other than the head of interior design at Mercedes-Benz, Harmut Sinkwitz.
Among other things, Mr. Sinkwitz also let it slip that the Formula One-engined hypercar will have a very racy seating arrangement. “Personally I’m a big fan of that seating arrangement. The whole thing is very racy. First of all [it must be a] perfect interior for the racetrack.” the designer told Motoring.
For most people, that statement would simply mean that there won't be too many creature comforts inside the Project One, but to some of us, it means something else. While most countries make road cars in the left-hand drive configuration and others do them in right-hand drive, the most hardcore of race cars have their driver bang in the middle. This is done for reasons mainly revolving around a better weight distribution on both clockwise and anti-clockwise racing tracks.
Since the gull-winged Mercedes-AMG brute will not only use a detuned F1 engine but will also be inspired by a Formula One car, it would make sense that Mr. Sinkwitz's statement relates to a central driving position.
Of course, it could also mean that the passenger seat would be fitted more toward the rear than the driver's seat, like in a first-gen smart fortwo or the track-ready Caparo T1. Another possibility would be that the Project One is a single-seater, but this has the least odds of happening, especially since most rich guys are either married or have a girlfriend they like to drive around with.
Since the whole thing is based on an official quote that may have been taken out of context, we could be very wrong in our assumption, but the thought of a mid-engine hypercar with an F1 engine has really sparked our imagination. A central driving position would complete the project and transform it into a true Magnum Opus for Mercedes-AMG.
In theory, this would also make it a three-seater, like the McLaren F1, with each of the two passengers riding shotgun on the driver's sides.
From where do we get this seemingly unbelievable piece of news, you ask? Well, the Aussies at Motoring recently had a friendly chat about the Project One with none other than the head of interior design at Mercedes-Benz, Harmut Sinkwitz.
Among other things, Mr. Sinkwitz also let it slip that the Formula One-engined hypercar will have a very racy seating arrangement. “Personally I’m a big fan of that seating arrangement. The whole thing is very racy. First of all [it must be a] perfect interior for the racetrack.” the designer told Motoring.
For most people, that statement would simply mean that there won't be too many creature comforts inside the Project One, but to some of us, it means something else. While most countries make road cars in the left-hand drive configuration and others do them in right-hand drive, the most hardcore of race cars have their driver bang in the middle. This is done for reasons mainly revolving around a better weight distribution on both clockwise and anti-clockwise racing tracks.
Since the gull-winged Mercedes-AMG brute will not only use a detuned F1 engine but will also be inspired by a Formula One car, it would make sense that Mr. Sinkwitz's statement relates to a central driving position.
Of course, it could also mean that the passenger seat would be fitted more toward the rear than the driver's seat, like in a first-gen smart fortwo or the track-ready Caparo T1. Another possibility would be that the Project One is a single-seater, but this has the least odds of happening, especially since most rich guys are either married or have a girlfriend they like to drive around with.
Since the whole thing is based on an official quote that may have been taken out of context, we could be very wrong in our assumption, but the thought of a mid-engine hypercar with an F1 engine has really sparked our imagination. A central driving position would complete the project and transform it into a true Magnum Opus for Mercedes-AMG.
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