Mercedes-AMG Project ONE advanced aero previewed

Mercedes-AMG has released a new video tease of its upcoming Project ONE hypercar, revealing its two-stage rear wing and advanced active fender vents ahead of its 2021 debut.

Originally, the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE was scheduled to be on sale in 2019, with Australians reportedly snapping up eight of the 275 cars Benz planned to build.

However, that date was pushed back as engineers grappled with the challenges of making a real F1 engine legal for the road.

In the latest video that co-stars seven-times F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, the Project One that features looks close to the final production-ready item, hence the switch from camouflage to a red and grey wrap.

But the biggest take-away from the new video is Mercedes-AMG allows us a glimpse of two of the McLaren Speedtail-rivalling hypercar's advanced aerodynamic aids.

The first is an enormous pop-up rear wing that incorporates a further extendable element for maximum downforce.

In addition, there are novel active fender extractors that swing open when the driver selects the R+ mode which has presumably been developed for the track.

It's thought the advantage of the new variable extractors is on the straights when they retract to reduce drag to maximise the top speed.

Speaking of which, Mercedes-AMG has already confirmed the Project ONE will be capable of a top speed in excess of 350km/h.

It also announced back in 2017, when the hypercar was first revealed, that it would be powered by a 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engine derived from the 2015 F1 world championship-winning engine that drove Hamilton to victory that year.

Featuring a single turbocharger and four overhead camshafts driven by spur gears, the mid-mounted V6 in race spec can spin at more than 11,000rpm.

However, engineers have now admitted that for a longer service life, and the lack of race fuel, the road car will not rev that high.

Despite that, performance will still be ballistic thanks to the combination of the ONE's four electric motors, two of which drive the front wheels to provide what AMG calls 'variable' all-wheel drive.

Helping it corner like a real Le Mans racer, the Project ONE will also get race-spec adjustable push-rod suspension.

Braking performance, meanwhile, will be based around new carbon-ceramic discs that borrow tech direct from F1.

There's no official word on performance after the Project ONE was reportedly re-engineered to pass stricter WLTP emissions, but 0-100km/h acceleration of less than 2.5 seconds and a sub-6.0sec 0-200km/h time are both expected.

Thanks to its hybrid tech, the ONE should also be capable of covering up to 25km on pure-electric power alone.

Priced from an incredible $5 million, customer deliveries of the 275-unit production run of cars is expected to begin in March 2021.

Originally, Mercedes-AMG courted controversy when it suggested owners would be expected to pay for a full engine rebuild every 50,000km.

It's not known if the new lower-revving engine has had its life extended.

Before it's launched, Mercedes-AMG apparently wants a crack at the outright production car lap record of the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife – but it won't have it easy.

Aston Martin's upcoming Valkyrie hypercar is also planning a tilt at the Green Hell record and that car is even more radical, lighter and has an almighty 865kW/900Nm deployed to the rear wheels.

Once the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE launches it will become the flagship for the German performance car division's new E Performance sub-brand that has been created for its hybrid AMG engines.

These are set to include its 600kW-plus plug-in AMG 73 engine, tipped to be based on an electrified version of its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.