With the AMG ONE, Mercedes didn’t just build a car, they built a legacy on four wheels–one that comes with F1 pedigree
The concept was first teased in 2017, and production units officially rolled out in 2022. While the Mercedes-AMG ONE may no longer be breaking news, its significance hasn’t dulled one bit. Nearly a decade later, it remains the only street-legal car with a genuine Formula 1 engine block beneath its hood—an achievement that still sends ripples through the hypercar world.
Some may argue that cars like the Ferrari F50 and Porsche Carrera GT walked so the AMG ONE could run. But here’s the key distinction: those legends were powered by engines inspired by F1 tech. The AMG ONE brings the same visceral thrill of F1 from the pit lane to the pavement, putting an actual F1 powertrain directly into civilian hands.
Squeezing an F1 heart into a road-legal machine may have once been an engineer’s fantasy, but Mercedes-AMG made it a reality. The result is a marvel of mechanical ambition: only 275 units exist globally, each with a price tag north of US$2.7 million.
At its core is Mercedes-AMG’s 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engine, lifted directly from their championship-winning Formula 1 cars. Paired with four electric motors, the result is a staggering 1,063 hp and an 11,000-rpm redline—figures more at home on the track than at a traffic light. Forget the century sprint, the Mercedes-AMG ONE catapults from zero to 200 km/h in 7 seconds flat, pushing on to a capped top speed of 352 km/h.
Inside, it’s all business. The seats are fixed in place, just like in a race car, with a lever to adjust the pedal box to suit the driver, with an F1 style steering wheel replaces traditional controls. And because the engine’s roar is deafening in the best way, conversation between driver and passenger would only be possible with the included custom AMG earbuds.
For all its motorsport madness, the Mercedes-AMG ONE is road legal, albeit just barely. Among the rarefied few who own one are notable Formula 1 drivers like Valterri Bottas, George Russell, and Nico Rosberg (ex-Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 driver Lewis Hamilton reportedly purchased two units).
For those lucky enough to secure a unit, they would agree that the hefty price tag is almost beside the point. The Mercedes-AMG ONE is a collector’s dream, an engineering masterstroke, and, dare we say, the most extreme machine ever to wear number plates.
Goosebumps, guaranteed. For driver, passenger, and pedestrians.
