New TG mag out now: world exclusive F1 cars for the road!

Ever since we first saw the Aston Martin AM-RB 001’s shocking silhouette in July 2016 – like a sliver of Adrian Newey’s brain extruded into an insectile sled – and the AMG Project One at the 2017 Frankfurt show, with its audacious idea to put a real F1 engine into a road car... we’ve been waiting (patiently) for this moment. A chance to put two genuine F1 cars for the road head to head, to discover whose unhinged idea actually delivers the more rewarding driving experience.

After both projects suffered multiple delays and public fails – yep, turns out developing two of the most mechanically ambitious motor cars ever made is quite tricky – we drove them both, separately, in 2023. The Valkyrie first in March on the Bahrain F1 track, and then the One in May on the Nürburgring GP circuit. The latter, famously, didn’t go particularly well for Chris Harris and the TopGear TV show – the car suffering from numerous electrical meltdowns and only allowing Chris a handful of laps to feel its full force.

Since then, customers have taken delivery and gremlins have been ironed out, but the car has remained out of reach for the media and mostly undiscovered. AMG owns one of course, but keeps it under lock and key – we’ll leave you to speculate why that might be. Our persistence paid off though when we spoke with one extremely generous AMG One owner, who was keen to use his car properly. We were only too happy to oblige.

After many months of planning, what ensued was a colossal two-day tussle at Thruxton... mostly between tyre and track surface as the rain sheeted down. However, when the taps were turned off and the asphalt dried, what shone through was not just the ferocity of both cars, but how differently they approach the task of delivering sledgehammer performance, staying glued to the ground and serving up drama worthy of their multi-million-pound price tags. A stark contrast to the LaFerrari vs 918 Spyder vs P1 Holy Trinity test, where all three converged on relatively similar engineering solutions.

Yes, hypercars are seen by some as an extreme extravagance and a total irrelevance, but we see it another way. They’re the crucible in which manufacturers ask themselves seemingly impossible questions, then fight to find solutions and see these moonshots through to fruition. They represent the road less travelled, the exosphere of innovation. In a hundred years they’re the cars our kids’ kids’ kids will still be fascinated by, and we have the honour of hooning them in the present.

For the full story, pick up the latest issue of Top Gear magazine now. You don’t even need to get up off the sofa to do it, just click this link and you’ll be able to have one delivered direct to your door. Or if you want even more from Top Gear magazine you can click here to start a subscription, it’s currently just £5 for your first five issues, after which you’ll get six issues for just £23.50. Bargain.