AMG shocked the car world when it announced it would be putting its Formula 1 engine into its futuristic-looking, street-legal hypercar, the Mercedes-AMG One (formerly known as Project One). That engine was never designed to be used in a real-world environment, after all. Well, it sounds like Mercedes-AMG might've bit off a little bit more than it could chew.

In an interview with Top Gear, AMG boss Tobias Moers revealed that transforming AMG Petronas' turbo V6 engine into a roadworthy powertrain is more difficult than his team first anticipated. When asked about heat management, he specified that engine idle was actually the team's biggest obstacle.

"Heat is not the problem," Moers told Top Gear. "The heat is not high. Getting a stable idle at 1200rpm, that’s challenging."

Normally, the Formula 1 racing engine idles at 5000 RPM—and revs all the way to 15,000—but obviously that isn't acceptable for a street car that needs to pass emissions testing.

"You have leakage in the throttles in Formula 1 and nobody cares, because it runs at a 5000-RPM idle," Moers added. "At a 1200-RPM idle, you have to meet the emissions regulations. You need a stable, proper idle. If it’s unstable, your emissions are unstable."

Moers claimed this issue caused a total of nine months of delays in the car's development process, but now, the team is back on track. On-road drivetrain development is currently underway, with first deliveries expected sometime in the later half of 2020. Remember, this engine has to work with a complex hybrid system and a new gearbox, too.

When asked if the customers were angry with such a delay, Moers said he's very open to communicating with them.

"You know what they tell me? 'Make sure that the car works. Because of what we experienced in the past with hybrid cars, take your time.'"

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io