Gregson Mathe
Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari have quite the rivalry going on in Formula 1. Now it seems that might spill over into their road going cars? Maybe? Based on what Ferrari just said about Mercedes-AMG’s new halo car, the Project One, it’s going to happen.
The new hyper car is set to use Formula 1 technology to make it crazy exclusive. This includes a Formula 1 derived engine making well over 1000 horsepower from it’s 1.6 liter, 10,000 RPM engine. Of course, Mercedes-AMG is not the first to do this. Nor was Ferrari, but Ferrari is the one speaking out against Merc.
Ferrari Chief Technology Officer Michael Leiters went on record saying that “I’m not confinced it works.”
“Putting an F1 engine into a road car? We already did it with the F50 and I’m not convinced it works,” Ferrari CTO Michael Leiters told Australia’s Motoring. “Instead of actual F1 engine, I’m convinced it’s better to take some concepts and innovations from a Formula 1 car… To make a supercar, I prefer to do it from scratch.”
When Ferrari launched the F50 in 1995, it used a 4.7-liter naturally aspirated V12 that derived from the powerplant in Prancing Horse’s 1990 F1 car. The mill made 520 horsepower and could rev to 10,000 rpm.
Those numbers are hugely impressive, but even with those stats the F50 never got the legendary status the F40 did. This is most likely the chief reason why Leiters thinks this won’t work.
Personally, I don’t buy it. The F50 came out in the 1990s over 20 years ago and both road car and Formula 1 technology has come a LONG way since then. I think it is going to work and Merc-AMG will produce a car that will adorn bedroom posters for decades.
Oh and the customers that will actually own this car probably give zero fucks about it “working” or not. Just saying.
(Source: Motor 1)
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