Some of the development of the Mercedes-AMG Project One is happening on one of the most impressive driving simulators in the world. In a new video, the team shows off this amazing piece of tech that also looks like the ultimate gaming cockpit for anyone into sim racing.
Mercedes-AMG uses this impressive rig for tweaking the vehicle dynamics at an early concept stage. Basically, the engineers can experiment with changes to the supercar and then test them in the simulator to make sure the ideas work, rather than needing to evaluate every minor adjustment in the real world.
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The simulator is on a complex rig that can turn and tilt the Project One cockpit to match the undulations of the road. In front of the driver, there’s a curved screen measuring 29.5 feet (9 meters) wide. Five 4K projectors create the massive image.
Mercedes-AMG can use the simulator to depict normal roads, but it’s a lot more fun to unleash it on a track like the Nordschleife. The team uses racing drivers to test the car on the circuit because these professionals can hit the same spot on the track for lap after lap. This lets the engineers change something, and the person in the cockpit can communicate whether things are better or not.
There’s something fascinating to notice at 1:49 in this clip. The instrument panel display shows 9 in the center, and at all other moments, this portion seems to be for showing the currently selected gear. However, the Project One is supposed to use an eight-speed gearbox. Since deliveries of the hypercar don’t begin until 2021, maybe the company is evaluating whether an extra cog would result in a better vehicle.
As a refresher, the Project One has a turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 with hybrid assistance that makes over 1,000 horsepower (746 kilowatts), possibly even above 1,200 hp (895 kW). The company plans to make 275 of them at $2.75 million each.