Aston Martin has confirmed that it’s working with Red Bull Racing and its Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey on a ground-breaking new hypercar, codenamed Project AM-RB 001, to be launched in 2018.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said. “This is a no excuses halo car – the most luxurious car in its class, but also the quickest and the fastest.
“This car will be able to lap Silverstone as quick as or quicker than an F1 or LMP1 car. But it’s a race car that’s capable of going on the road.”
The two-seater hypercar is likely to feature a version of Aston’s new V12 engine, boosted by an F1-style KERS hybrid system. Although the image gives very little away, it’s expected to look like a radical LMP1 car that’s smaller than a Porsche 919.
And according to Palmer, the focus is on aerodynamics and building a car that will be quick around a circuit, rather than trying to take on the Bugatti Chiron in a straight line.
“The aerodymanics are truly ground-breaking,” said Palmer, “Combined with spectacularly beautiful looks, it’s deeply an Aston Martin. It’s a beautiful thing.”
• Aston Martin DB11 revealed at Geneva
“Adrian Newey will give us the sleekest car, Marich Reichman will give us the most beautiful car and Dave King [Aston’s Director of Special Projects and Motorsport] is responsible for making sure it’s road legal.”
The two companies have been working on the project for the past three months and the car is set to be revealed at a unique event in a few months’ time. It’ll combine the two firms’ expertise in aerodynamics, use of composites and manufacturing, will probably be limited to around 100 cars and, according to Palmer, will be “very, very expensive” – we’d expect it to be close to £2million.
Adrian Newey has long harboured a desire to build a road car, saying that it was an ambition that he’d had since the age of six. “The opportunity to develop and realise those ideas with Marek and the team from Aston Martin is tremendously exciting,” he said. “It allows us to translate the technology we have developed in F1 into a new arena."
• 2016 Formula One season preview
The relationship between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing won’t stop at project AM-RB 001. The hypercar is said to be one of a series of cars that will benefit from F1 technology including aerodymanics and the use of lightweight composites. Red Bull and its Advanced Technologies division will also learn from Aston Martin’s manufacturing expertise.
Awareness of the Aston brand, especially in the growing Chinese market, will also be boosted with the Aston Martin wings logo on the Red Bull Racing cars, driven by Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, throughout the 2016 Formula One season.
Are you excited about Aston Martin's partnership with Red Bull? Let us know in the comments section below...