You think Aston Martin and Red Bull are the only ones hatching a Formula One-based hypercar? Well, if automotive history tells us anything, it’s that it’ll only be a matter of time before another company lines up its own hypercar to take on the AM-RB 001. Turns out, that time has come. The AM-RB 001 will have competition from the automaker that’s been dominating Formula One for the past three seasons. It’s been rumored that Mercedes-AMG was developing its own hypercar. But according to TopGear.com, it’s not a rumor anymore. The Mercedes-AMG hypercar is coming.

A timetable hasn’t been set yet because Mercedes-AMG’s brass is still fleshing out all the details, but the source that spoke to TopGear.com at the Belgian Grand Prix said that “it’s definitely happening.” Now we’re not going to start jumping for joy just yet. It’s important that we hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, but given the hype that’s been building surrounding this planned hypercar, we still can’t help but get excited about the possibility of seeing Mercedes-AMG use its dominant F1 technology and shoot straight for the freakin’ stars.

In the event the Mercedes-AMG hypercar does come to fruition, expectations call for it to use a carbon fiber monocoque and have a gullying-style cockpit canopy as one of its main aesthetic features. The historical significance of such a setup is obvious as the model immediately calls into its own roots, specifically with the iconic 300 SL and the modern-day classic, the SLS AMG. It’s also believed that Merc is targeting a one-to-one power-to-weight ratio in response to the same goal of Aston Martin and Red Bull. Details on how much power it’s going to have are still being kept under wraps, but the TopGear.com report indicates that it could employ a bigger up to three electric motors that will be complemented by a heavily modified version of the F1 combustion engine currently being used by the F1-dominating W07 racer. The yet-to-be-named hypercar is also reportedly getting a heavy dose of technological features. One item that’s been thrown out is the biometric driver control system that was showcased in the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Concept.

Only time will tell if the planned Mercedes-AMG hypercar really comes to life. But there are reasons for doing it, which adds even more weight to the possibility of it seeing the light of day. Remember, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of AMG and according to TopGear.com, this hypercar is believed to be one of TG special projects the German automaker is developing to celebrate its performance division’s golden birthday.

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This development is huge for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the brewing hypercar race not only between Aston Martin and Mercedes, but between the two Formula One teams that have dominated the sport for the past seven seasons. Can you imagine the anticipation of waiting for both the AM-RB 001 and the planned Mercedes-AMG hypercar? I’m already sweating just thinking about it!

On the more technical side, I think it’s smart for Mercedes-AMG to capitalize on its current dominance of Formula One and use the technology that propelled it to owning the sport into building a road car that can translate that dominance outside of the track. It’s a similar strategy to what Aston Martin and Red Bull are doing, except that Mercedes-AMG has a much better Formula One tech this time around. Building this hypercar also addresses the long wait for Mercedes to finally jump into the hypercar business, something a lot of its competitors have already done. What better way to make a splash than to infuse that car with dominant F1 technology?

I don’t know when the car will arrive because Mercedes-AMG has not divulged any specific details about it, nor do I know how many the company is planning to build if it does come to that point. Continue after the jump to read the full story. did say that production could start sometime in 2018, so keep an eye out for that date. Hopefully, we know more about these plans sooner than later.

Why it matters

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