The Royal Automobile Club’s Dewar Trophy has been awarded to Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains in recognition for the successful implementation of its Formula One powertrain in the road-legal Mercedes-AMG ONE hypercar.
It is the third occasion on which Mercedes-Benz has been presented with the Trophy, having previously won it in 2009 for its Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System, and in 2014 for its World Championship-winning PU106A hybrid Power Unit.
The Mercedes-AMG ONE was developed in order to bring Formula One technology to the road. It combines a 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine with four electric motors and an 800-volt battery to deliver 1048hp – enough to cover 0-300kph in only 15.6 seconds before going on to a maximum speed of 352mkph. The car also features active aerodynamics – including an extendable rear wing and active air vents/active louvres in the front wheel arches – and the driver can select different programmes in order to optimise its performance.
Other Formula One-derived technology on the AMG ONE includes its carbon monocoque construction, while its seven-speed ‘automated manual’ transmission is mated to a carbon racing clutch; suspension is via motorsport-style transverse push-rods with adaptive damping. There is even a Drag Reduction System that lowers the rear wing and closes the louvres at the front of the car in order to increase straight-line speed.
Having first been unveiled in 2017 as the Project One concept car, the Mercedes-AMG ONE went into production in 2022. Only 275 are being built, all of which have already been sold.
Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Dewar Technical Committee, said: “When we visited the Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains factory, we were astounded by the complexity of the project – it really was an ambitious endeavour that faced huge challenges, the support provided to the engineering team by senior management enabled the impossible to happen. The sheer determination and skills of the team at AMG is a superb example, not only of the fine engineering talent that exists in the UK, but also of transfer technology from track to road – it’s a remarkable achievement.”
Adam Allsopp, Advanced Technology Director of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, said: “Receiving the Royal Automobile Club’s Dewar Trophy is a tremendous honour for everyone involved in developing the Mercedes-AMG ONE. Giving owners the opportunity to get a little taste of what has helped make the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team so successful in Formula One during the hybrid era, and making it road-legal without losing that Formula One DNA, was a huge challenge, but one we fully embraced. We’re very excited to have made it a reality.”
Presented to the Club in 1904 by Sir Thomas Dewar MP, the Trophy is one of the most prestigious awards in British engineering. It is awarded at the discretion of the Technical Committee, and only in years when its panel of experts believes there are contenders of sufficient merit. Since 1957, the Trophy has been presented in recognition of ‘an outstanding British technical achievement in the automotive field during the preceding year’, and has subsequently been awarded to the likes of Cosworth legend Keith Duckworth, Dunlop, Jaguar, Ford and JCB.
About the Dewar Technical Committee
The Dewar Technical Committee has existed for more than a century and is made up of leading experts from across the automotive industry. Chaired by Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, the committee also includes engineering consultant Alec Osborn MBE, Autocar Editor-in-Chief Steve Cropley, motor racing engineer Pat Symonds, motorsport journalist Charles Armstrong-Wilson, Professor David Greenwood from Warwick University, and past winner Dan Parry-Williams, Director of IQUAD Technology.
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