When it comes to cars banned in the U.S., the list is very long and includes a lot of cool cars like the Jaguar XJ220-S or the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-spec. Even more recent cars, like the McLaren Speedtail or the Koenigsegg One:1 are on the same list. And this is because National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has very strict criteria to determine which car is safe to be offered in the States. And when we say safe, we mean safe for the passengers, for the other drivers on the road, for the environment, and for the economy itself.

Another car that has been hit by these strict regulations is the recently-launched Mercedes-AMG One.

The Project One was announced for the first time back in 2017, and after five years and many rumors that it will never actually make it to production, we finally saw the production version on the last day of May 2022. The model is limited to only 275 units, and despite all the problems (and its €2.75 million price tag), all units were spoken for long ago. The caveat here is that none of these 275 units will be offered in the U.S., and the guys over Carscoops got an official answer from Mercedes as to why this is happening. According to the letter they received, adapting the Project One to U.S. regulations will alter its performance figures: "In order to preserve the unique character of its F1 powertrain, we have concluded that meeting U.S. road standards would significantly compromise its performance and its overall driving character."

The new Project One is not powered by an engine inspired by the F1 world – like we’ve seen in many models before, it actually features a “direct technology transfer of the World Championship winning Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 E PERFORMANCE drive unit.” As you can imagine it was an extreme job to adapt the Formula 1 engine for road usage and now Mercedes doesn’t want to repeat the job to adapt it once again for for U.S. roads - especially when doing that will most likely decrease the supercar’s performance figures.

Just to sum up, the AMG One is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter six cylinders engine that delivers a total of 566 horsepower. The engine is paired with four electric motors: two on the front axle delivering 322 horsepower, one attached to the gasoline engine and adding another 161 horsepower to the equation, and finally, a fourth one mixed in with a high-tech turbocharger that adds another 121 horsepower. As a result, the hybrid system delivers a total of 1,046 horsepower! All this while still meeting the European Euro 6 emissions standards. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and can hit a top speed of 219 mph.

Too bad no American customer will be able to enjoy these amazing performance figures. Well, at least not more than 2,500 miles a year, as the AMG One can still be imported thanks to the federal government’s “Show and Display” exemption law.