Formula One champ Lewis Hamilton bags a £2.2million Mercedes AMG Project One for his dad
The F1 road car has the same engine as Lewis' race car and can do 0 to 124mph in less than six seconds
WE all know that Lewis Hamilton has a lot to thank his father for.
His dad Anthony worked three jobs to fund his boy’s early career.
Well, now he’s finally returned the favour and paid him back big time.
Lewis has bagged two of these Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercars — one for him and one for his dad.
That’s a cool £2.25million each, dear reader, and they’re going to mature quicker than a Matisse.
Project One is Merc’s 1,000hp F1 car for the road.
It has the same F1 engine as Lewis’ Sunday race car — built here in the UK at Brixworth — and can do 0 to 124mph in less than six seconds.
It red lines at 11,000rpm — that’s a lot, just 2,500 down on the F1 car — and has a top speed “in excess of 217mph”.
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The 1.6-litre V6 turbo uses four electric motors — two of them to drive the front wheels, making it all-wheel drive — and it can run for 16 miles on pure electric.
Project One also uses F1 tech like KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) to store power and boost acceleration.
And look at that F1-style air intake on the roof that blends into a giant “shark fin” at the back. Mind blown.
That improves lateral stability when cornering at high speed, apparently — as well as looking the nuts.
Now I know what you’re thinking. I’m ahead of you.
And the answer is no, it doesn’t come with a pit crew.
AMG boss Tobias Moers said: “It is a street car. You keep it plugged in in the garage. You fill it with fuel. That’s it.”
All 275 cars — built to celebrate AMG’s 50th anniversary — are sold, with just 20 allocated to the UK.
The first customer cars will hit the road in 2019. Lewis unveiled the two-seater on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show and said: “What Mercedes has created here is history. It’s incredible. Nobody has really done this the right way before. I’m proud to have helped develop it. I’ve just sat in it and started the engine for the first time and I had the same grin as I have in the pit lane. I’m hoping to have the first one.”
I’m hoping my boys grow up to be as generous as Lewis.
Key facts: Mercedes-AMG Project One
Price: £2.25m
Engine: 1.6-litre V6 from F1 car with four electric motors
Power: 1,000hp
0-124mph: 6 secs
Top speed: 217mph
Electric range: 16 miles
6 for the future...
1 - Renault
YOUR eyes do not deceive you. That car is parked on a house roof. And again, in the kitchen.
You have just landed in 2030 and your car is now an extra living space at home.
And your entertainment hub and your digital personal assistant. It also shares energy and has matching furnishings.
Of course, all of this is nonsense. It’ll never happen in Rotherham. And you’ll need a massive lift and a car wash. But some bits on this Renault will be seen in the near future: full autonomy, pure electric and how the car will communicate with your home. Not just switching on the lights and heating either.
Imagine there’s someone at the door when you’re out. The caller’s face pops up on your car screen. You’ll never miss another delivery.
2 - Honda
WHEN did you grow up? When you stopped wearing your light-up trainers? When your mum refused to put Fruit Winders in your lunchbox? I’ve never really grown up.
Which is why I love Honda’s Urban EV concept and the digital message board between the front lights. You could say “Hello”, for instance, or something much, much worse when someone cuts you up.
This quirky city car previews Honda’s first all-electric car coming in 2019. Yet it looks retro Golf. Please build as is.
3 - Audi
THIS is the self-driving Audi Aicon – AI for artificial intelligence.
No pedals, no steering wheel and a virtual assistant that recognises your phone to activate your personal settings. Pure electric 4WD quattro, of course, 500 miles on a charge, facing seats.
OK, OK. I can believe all that. But those 26in wheels? Never gonna happen. Audi also revealed a rear-wheel drive R8 and the new £62,000 RS4. Tidy.
Audi’s first all-electric car – called e-tron – goes on sale next summer. Let’s hope they keep those four-ring LEDs.
4 - BMW
BMW promised 12 pure electric vehicles by 2025 – and you can see two of them here. The 2019 Mini Electric and 2020 BMW i5. We all know and love the i3 and i8 and I can reveal BMW has all the naming rights from i1 to i9. Er, Hyundai has i10. The i5 will do 0-62mph in four seconds and has a 372-mile range. By 2020, there’ll also be a pure electric X3. As for next year, it’s business as usual with an 8 Series, X7 hybrid and a £30,000 Z4 coming our way.
5 - The Mini Electric
6 - Mercedes
REMEMBER the letters “EQ”. That’s the name for Merc’s new electric car family - starting with the EQC (SUV coupe) next year. This EQA (think A-Class) follows in 2019 and by 2022 Merc will have at least ten all-electric cars.
Smart city cars will switch to electric only from 2020. More on the EQA: 4WD, 310-mile range, rapid charging (10mins for 62-mile boost). VW will launch the Golf-sized I.D. electric car in 2020, I.D. Crozz SUV in 2020 and I.D. Buzz minivan in 2022.
6 for today
1 - Dacia
DACIA is a bit like TK Maxx. Decent gear at knockdown prices. Dacia uses old but proven parts from owner Renault to keep prices low.
The all-new Duster SUV will be out next June starting at £10,000. It looks better on the outside and every inch of the interior has been improved. Bargain.
2 - Suzuki
MARMITE. Some will hate the new Suzuki Swift Sport purely because it kills off the last naturally-aspirated hot hatch.
Others will love it because it’s lighter and faster and more economical and powered by a 140hp 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbo.
Out June, priced around £16,500. Five-door only. I love it.
3 - Skoda
SKODA is replacing the Yeti with Karoq. The mid-sized SUV out December from £18,000.
It sits under the Kodiaq and will be followed by a smaller crossover in 2019, undoubtedly ending in the letter “q”.
Karoq has a digital dash – first seen in the Audi TT – and removable rear seats. It has the biggest boot in class. Of course it does, it’s a Skoda.
4 - VW
IT’S not all jam tomorrow. VW is spoiling us with THREE GTi models for the first time: up!, Polo and Golf. The £14,000 up!
GTi, out early 2018, has more horses (115hp) than the original Golf GTi (110hp) and will do 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and 121mph. All from a 1-litre three-cylinder turbo.
5 - Ford
SHALL we be kind and say the first Ford EcoSport had “issues”? No. It was a steaming pile. This is night and day in comparison.
The 2018 EcoSport will have AWD, sporty ST-Line trim and 8in touchscreen. It can even swim in water 55cm deep.
Not bad for a Fiesta-sized SUV. Prices from £16,000-£21,000.
6 - Jaguar
JAGUAR is to run the I-Pace eTrophy, a street race series supporting Formula E in 2018/19.
The £60,000 electric road car hits showrooms in June. Sister firm Land Rover unveiled the £100,000 Discovery SVX with a 5-litre supercharged V8 . . . and a rear-winch to drag itself from the ditch you fell in.