Mercedes-AMG ONE: the car worth more than most mortgages

Mercedes-AMG says the combined system output is a 782kW, enough to propel the two-seater to 352km/h and become the fastest model ever to wear a Mercedes badge.

Incredibly, the car’s official fuel consumption is quoted at 8.7 litres/100km, which is similar ingestion to a decent-sized SUV.

The AMG ONE was conceived in 2017 but it took engineers years to adapt the F1 technology to work with the fuel available to the public (98 RON) and make the hybrid system robust enough to justify putting in a road-going vehicle.

The active suspension and opening-and-closing aerodynamics also had to be tested in a range of environments far harsher than those typically found on a racetrack.

Built to celebrate the 55^th anniversary of Mercedes’ AMG performance division, just 275 of the cars will be constructed and they’ll all be left-hand drive, meaning Australian owners will either have to garage their vehicles in Europe or ship it home for displays and track days.

The Mercedes-AMG ONE will be shown “in the metal” at the Goodwood Festival of Speed starting on June 23.

Hypercar competition

There’s always been an echelon of people who desire to have the latest and greatest, be that a Hermes handbag, Patek Phillipe watch, or an F1-inspired supercar.

Bugatti was lauded for building vehicles that were so opulent they could be optioned with diamond inlays while still reaching more than 400km/h. The tech-boom entrepreneurs, sports stars, and cashed-up Royals couldn’t get enough of them.

The reason they’re built in limited numbers is to add to the exclusivity.

Aside from the Mercedes-AMG ONE, the latest crop of cars at the pointy end of the hypercar field includes the Aston Martin Valkyrie, a limited-edition run of 150 coupes using a 6.5-litre V12 to generate 865kW and 900Nm. That gives it bragging rights at concours d’elegance events and in terms of performance, with a 2.5-second run to 100km/h and a top speed of 400km/h.

The price is accordingly astronomical, at around $4.9 million. We can look, but don’t touch … we probably can’t afford the respray.

Ferrari has the Daytona SP3, which sells in Australia for around $4 million if you don’t go over the top on the options.

The Prancing Horse brand will build just 599 Daytonas and is using the traditional V12 engine, though moved from the front of the car to behind the front seats for improved weight distribution.

The 6.5-litre mill cranks out 618kW and 697 Nm, to hit 100km/h in 2.85 seconds. Fuel economy isn’t its thing, with combined use of 16.2 litres. No one who has heard the V12 wail will ever come close to that figure, given how tempting it is to regularly hear the siren sound.

Closer to home the Brabham GT62 is a relative bargain at around $2 million and there’s no issue in ordering one to drive on Australian roads. The vehicle is built in Adelaide and uses a 5.4-litre V8 with 522kW and 667Nm. Despite the smaller outputs the BT62 can match the Mercedes and Ferrari to 100km/h thanks to its svelte 972kg kerb weight.