The One and only – Merc pick a name for their hypercar

It’s not very imaginative but it probably does the job for the £2million-plus, 1,000PS (986bhp) hybrid hypercar, seen in these new pictures ahead of its showing at the Paris Motor Show on October 2^nd. The car was revealed at Frankfurt a year ago but as the pictures show work has been ongoing, not just to tame a high-revving 1.6-litre V6 petrol engine from Formula 1 (red line: 11,000rpm) for Joe Public to troll around the roads in, but also to develop the aero of the 218mph machine.

The active aerodynamics, it can now be revealed, centre on a two-stage extendable rear wing for maximum downforce when the car is put in race mode. It’s been developed in the wind tunnel by Mercedes specialists at the F1 team in Brackley and (where the engines are made) in Brixworth, Northamptonshire. Earlier this week we caught sight of what we now know to be called Mercedes-AMG One out and about on its first public road trials.

Regarding the  name, Mercedes says: “Mercedes-AMG One stands for the highest automotive ambition: to bring Formula 1 hybrid technology to the road. It will be the pinnacle of the model portfolio and the absolute top-of-the-line model – as is logically referenced by the One.”

The company has said it will make 275 Ones. It has built a special Merc truck as a mobile showroom for the hypercar, giving customers the opportunity to see the  car up close, try it for size and choose their colour and spec.