Mercedes-AMG One Hypercar Beats Porsche’s Nurburgring Lap Record by Nearly 8 Seconds
The car was not modified in any extensive way in order to achieve the record.
It's been more than a year since a specially outfitted Porsche 911 GT2 RS set the production car lap record at the Nurburgring—a long time for such a record to stand. Mercedes must've been displeased with this. It's sent its AMG One hypercar out onto the Nordschleife, resulting in a new lap record of 6:35.183. Yes, the Wikipedia page is already updated.
The F1-powered Merc beat the Porsche by 7.82 seconds with racing driver Maro Engel behind the wheel. The new record is especially impressive considering the previous leader was equipped with a package optimized for setting the fastest possible lap at the legendary circuit. The Mercedes was not. The only modification received was allegedly some added wheel camber, albeit within the maximum factory tolerance. So in theory, a car could still be delivered like the record-setting AMG One.
Seeing as the Mercedes is powered primarily by a 1.6-liter V6bFormula 1 engine adapted for use on the street, this shouldn't be too surprising in theory. It is actually rather impressive in practice though. Yes, the car has 1,063 horsepower. It also weighs a lot. Thanks to a slew of emissions equipment that includes no fewer than six catalytic converters, the AMG One tips the scales at 3,737 pounds. Colin Chapman might want to adjust his mantra.
Adding to this considerable mass are four electric motors, a slew of associated power electronics, an 8.4-kWh liquid-cooled battery pack, and a 3.7 kW onboard charger. Did I mention the two gasoline particulate filters and the fact that four of the cats are heated? It all adds up... in a good way, as it turns out.
And get this: Mercedes claims the fantastic record was set in less-than-ideal conditions. The track was still damp in some places and the weather was chillier than desired.
That being said, I wouldn't expect another forthcoming record run. Mercedes beat the current record by almost eight seconds. Give the company some time to gloat.
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