AMG R50 hypercar: here it is

THIS is it, our best glimpse yet at AMG’s F1-infused hypercar which will take the fight to the AM-RB 001 when it is officially revealed later this year.

While the AMG R50 won’t be show in full until the Frankfurt motor show in November, where it will be the centrepiece of AMG’s 50th anniversary celebrations, this new silhouette provides some tasty details. Like a prominent roof-mounted air scoop.

Shown to journalists at CES in Las Vegas by Mercedes board member Ola Kallenius, the image also shows the car’s LMP1-inspired, shark-fin spine in greater detail, which is flanked by a series of cooling ducts positioned above highly complex, mid-mounted F1 drivetrain.

It also seems there's no rear window, which could make parking at your local Coles a little tricky. Not that you’ll see the hypercar on Aussie roads of course. While a handful of R50s have already been ordered by Australian customers, it’ll only be built in left-hand drive.

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As for other details, AMG boss Tobias Moers is remaining tight lipped, though he did confirm to Wheels that the 1.6-litre V6 hybrid drivetrain will be lifted straight from the company’s dominant F1 car, except with an even more potent hybrid system with bigger, AMG-designed batteries.

If F1 power outputs are any guide, the R50 could produce as much as 700kW, though channelling all that grunt to the wheels via a bespoke four-wheel drive system with variable torque split is proving the biggest hurdle, according to Moers.

“Man the gearbox is an issue yeah,” he said. “It’s a pretty big challenge. Using the Formula 1 engine which revs more than a five digit number gives some headaches to us regarding the gearbox. It’ll be a bespoke unit created by us, there is no other chance.”

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Moers wouldn’t be drawn on how many ratios the R50 will have, but did reveal that despite its extreme performance bent, AMG’s first hypercar won’t forsake comfort.

“It’ll have air conditioning, this is mandatory,” he said. “It’s still a three-pointed-star car. Is it being a compromise between everyday usability and track driving? No I don’t think so. I think it’s going to be a fascinating car because no other manufacturer is trying to use a formula 1 engine, a 1.6-litre V6 with all the electronic components, no body tries to do this. It’s the pinnacle of technology for what you can do in street legal cars.”