Mercedes-Benz AMG's "One" runs this fast around the ring

Mercedes-Benz AMG has announced the official lap time of its hypercar "One" on the Nürburgring.

On October 28, the One, piloted by racing driver Maro Engel, lapped the 12.9 miles of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:35.183. The time eclipsed the 6:43.61 set by AMG's GT Black Series in 2020. This time was run in damp conditions. [Engel, who has competed in Formula E and DTM and won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, said after the run, "I didn't expect to be able to record a lap time like this in these track conditions. It was tricky because it was still not completely dry in some key areas of the track."

Mercedes finally unveiled the production version of the One in June, with the first models soon to be delivered to patient customers.

The car is powered by the same engine as the car currently used by the Mercedes F1 team in racing. This is a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6, specifically the unit that was installed in the racing car that won the championship in the 2015 season. In reality, however, the car has a more sophisticated powertrain than the F1 car.

While the racing car has only a turbocharged V-6 engine, a motor-generator that drives the rear wheels, and a second motor-generator that is integrated with the turbocharger, the One has two more motor-generators. These drive the front wheels respectively, giving the One all-wheel drive. Maximum output is 1,049 hp, but the car is relatively heavy for a two-seater, weighing in at 3,737 pounds (close to the weight of a Ford Mustang GT).

For the record run, the One's drive mode was set to Race Plus. This mode is designed for circuit driving and not only lowers the ride height (37 mm front, 30 mm rear), but also maximizes the aerodynamics and chassis settings. Engel also used the machine's drag reduction system during the run.

The powertrain is supplied by Mercedes-Benz AMG High Performance Powertrains, the division of Mercedes that develops and manufactures F1 power units.

AMG plans to build a total of 275 cars, each priced at €2,275,000 (about $2.3 million). Despite many production slots going to U.S. customers, AMG was unable to get the car and its temperamental F1 engine certified for sale in the U.S. without a significant loss of performance, so it will not be sold in the United States. For U.S. customers, there is some hope in the form of the show-or-display rule. Under this rule, non-U.S.-certified vehicles of historical or technical significance may be authorized for private importation, albeit with some restrictions, such as a limit of 2,500 miles per year.