Mercedes-AMG Is Racing to Produce a Turbocharged Supercar for 2017

Mercedes will tap its Formula One-winning hybrid-electric knowhow to create a new supercar flagship.

Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept car. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

An incredible supercar is now being produced as part of celebrations for next year’s 50th anniversary of Mercedes’ AMG high performance and racing division, and German car magazine Autobild has uncovered the plans.

The new car is reportedly branded “R50” and will feature a mind-blowing 1,000-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, reinforced by a pair of 150-horsepower electric motors spinning the front wheels, providing 1,300-horsepower of all-wheel drive fury.

Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept car. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Target mass for the carbon fiber rocket is 2,860 lbs., which is an impressive benchmark for any vehicle with electric motors and batteries to power them.

Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept car. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Our only hint of the car’s styling is the Vision Gran Turismo concept car of 2013, but Autobild tells us that car uses rear-wheel steering, like that on the Mercedes-AMG GT-R, plus adaptive suspension that precisely controls the movement of each wheel over the road surface. Such technology was banned from Formula One in the 1990s.

Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept car. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

The engineers have a short deadline to produce such an amazing machine, as German carmakers love to show off their best work at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which is coming up in September 2017. It looks like Mercedes-AMG will be starting a Teutonic arms race.

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