Next Mercedes hypercar to use Formula 1 engine

Following rumours about the German car manufacturer’s plans to develop the new machine, Mercedes made an announcement during a Mercedes-Benz Media Night preview at the Paris Motor Show – where it also offered a teaser sketch.

Although not many details about the new car have been released, Daimler’s head of R&D Thomas Weber confirmed that it would be using the F1 drivetrain – tuned to make it more suitable for road use.

Weber said: “Our next big thing is already in the pipeline. We are going to create an AMG performance hybrid featuring our Formula 1 drivetain technology. 

"Our performance companies will join forces to create the most efficient and best performing and most spectacular AMG of all time

“Some may even call it a hypercar. No matter what you call it, it will show you how we will take our performance brand into the future.

“There will be no compromises in terms of the emotional appeal of this car. We see performance as a combination of intelligence and emotion.”

Suggestions are that the road car version of the F1 engine will adopt a bi-turbo arrangement to develop around 900bhp (671 kilowatts). A pair of electric motors, which are expected to be mounted at the front wheels, will generate an extra 160 hp (119 kW).

Mercedes-AMG’s engineers are targeting an ultra-low curb weight of just 1000 kg and are working on a very aerodynamic body to further boost performance. 

Based on the teaser sketch, the high-performance two-seater will have a curved body with a prominent roof scoop and quite possibly gullwing doors, as one would expect from a flagship AMG product.

Set to go up against the Aston Martin Red Bull hypercar, the hybrid machine from Affalterbach might be revealed as early as next year taking into account AMG will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017.

Additional reporting: ADRIAN PADEANU , Editor