Aston Martin has taken the wraps off the AM-RB 001, Mercedes will be launching the Mercedes-AMG Project One at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and in March at the Geneva Motor Show Vanda Electronics will be launching the Dendrobium.
And while each of these hypercars is coming from a very different automotive company, all three have one thing very much in common -- they've each been co-developed with a Formula 1 racing team and each one will feature F1 technology.
Aston Martin
The Aston Martin-RB 001, revealed in concept form in July (deliveries won't begin until 2018) was created in partnership with Red Bull Racing. Forming the alliance was the only way of ensuring the delivery of a road-legal car with a 1:1 power to weight ratio of 1bhp per kilo that will stay planted on the ground rather than take flight like a fighter jet at high speed.
The car will be built from carbon fiber, and composite materials use cutting-edge underfloor aerodynamics systems so that the body can maintain some traditional Aston Martin style. Exact performance figures won't be revealed until later in the year but power will come from a naturally aspirated V12 engine mounted dead in the middle of the two-seat car.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes is also going with a mid-mounted engine for its hypercar and is working on the venture with AMG. The car is currently dubbed the Project One and is a celebration of AMG's 50th anniversary and of the two companies' phenomenal success in the world of F1.
Mercedes AMG Petronas has won the driver's and constructor's championships for the past three years running. And much of the technological excellence that goes into the track cars will be present in this road-going vehicle, including the hybrid V6 engine that thanks to energy recuperation systems will put out in excess of 1000hp. All will be revealed in September.
Vanda Electronics
Vanda Electronics has been talking about its hypercar plans for almost a year and of how it aims to build a plug-in electric vehicle that can match or better a Bugatti in terms of acceleration, torque and horsepower.
However, now that the Singaporean company has revealed it's developing the Dendrobium in collaboration with British-based Formula 1 team and engineering company Williams, people are paying attention. Williams has been involved with the aerodynamics, materials and electric powertrain and although there are no confirmed figures, the car is expected to offer upwards of 1500hp and a 0-100km/h time of 2.6 seconds when it is unveiled in Geneva.
As for the car's name, the Dendrobium is an orchid native to Singapore and the way the new car's roof and doors open put the designers in mind of the flower as it moves from bud to full bloom.
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