Mercedes-AMG Project One breaks Nürburgring record
Mercedes-AMG must celebrate as it officially takes over the title of fastest road legal production car on the Nordschleife of the Nuerburgring. Mercedes-AMG held the record with the AMG GT Black Series, but lost it to the Porsche 911 GT2 RS tuned by tuner Manthey-Racing. Only a few months later, the ProjectOne returns the crown to Mercedes-AMG with a comfortable margin of 3.65 seconds ahead of the 911.
Breaking the Nordschleife record by 3.65 seconds is an impressive feat. Especially since this record was held by a modified car and not a production one. To find a production car produced in series, we must stay on the side of Mercedes-AMG, but this time with the GT Black Series. In the case, we are talking about an 8.43 second lead, which is downright an eternity when it comes to time on a circuit. Mercedes-AMG therefore holds the title with a new time of just 6 minutes 35.183 seconds to complete the approximately 20.832 kilometers of this section of the track.
According to the organization, this time is all the more exceptional as it was achieved in conditions that were not the most favorable. The track was not completely dry, sections had not been properly cleaned, and there was a lot of time pressure. The AMG team had only one hour to perform before the track closed. The record was confirmed, with just one minute left before the doors closed on October 28.
It was DTM driver Maro Engel who was behind the wheel of the car. As we know, the AMG Project One incorporates several components from an F1. There is a small 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 assisted by 4 electric motors, which gives a total of 1,049 horsepower. To optimize the car’s performance and efficiency, Engel opted for the “Race Plus” mode, which puts all the cavalry on alert, lowers the suspensions to their lowest level and mobilizes all the car’s aerodynamic assistance. During the event, the announced maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour was almost reached with a peak of 338 kilometers per hour on the Döttinger Höhe right.
Maro Engel comments on his adventure: “It’s an unforgettable experience. I did not expect that we could have such a time with these conditions on the track. In some sections, the track was not completely dry, which made driving even more difficult. It was a real challenge.”
