Mercedes-AMG One takes Nurburgring production car lap record

Mercedes-AMG One takes Nurburgring production car lap record

Autocar

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Mercedes-AMG One beat the previous record by nearly 10sec

Production of German hypercar, powered by 1049bhp Formula 1 engine, began earlier this year

The Mercedes-AMG One has set a new fastest lap for production cars at the Nürburgring, eclipsing the previous record by almost 10sec.

The 1049bhp hypercar posted a time of 6min 35.183sec around the 156-corner circuit, driven by Mercedes DTM driver Maro Engel on 28 October. This lap time also took the record for the super-sports car category.  

Dubbed a Formula 1 car for the road, the £2.2 million hypercar is the most potent Mercedes-AMG road car ever made, combining a modified version of the firm’s turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 grand prix engine with four electric motors.

The previous production car lap record was held by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey-Racing with a time of 6min 43.300sec. The outright Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record remains with the all-electric, one-off Volkswagen ID R (6min 5.336sec).

“That was really an unforgettable experience,” said Engel, who took the record on a damp and dirty track. 

“I didn’t expect that we would be able to set such a lap time with these track conditions. In some crucial areas of the track, it hadn’t dried completely yet and was therefore tricky. That was a special challenge.”

Engel added: “Like Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on their race weekends, I also had to deploy the electrical energy of the hybrid drive in the best possible way. That’s not easy, especially with this length of track. But that’s also a real Formula 1 feeling.”

Mercedes confirmed that the car used to take the record was the same “standard” spec as the 275 cars being delivered to owners. 

Mercedes‑AMG chairman Philipp Schiemer said: "I’m proud of the whole AMG team – everyone who was involved in this project.

“We’re the first ever to have taken on the challenges of the Nürburgring with a super-sports car. That’s also what makes this project so unique and I’m very happy about this fantastic lap time.”

The car is the result of a close collaboration between Mercedes-AMG’s regular road car operation and the UK-based Mercedes-AMG F1 team and AMG High Performance Powertrains division. It is available in two-seat, left-hand-drive guise only.

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