Unveiled at Aston Martin's Gaydon HQ on Tuesday, the new car is a partnership between the company and F1 team Red Bull Racing and is described in Aston's own words as "bespoke from the tires up."
When it goes into strictly limited hand-finished production it will be available in road-legal and track-only specification but whichever model clients opt for, the car will set new benchmarks for downforce, feature an entirely new mid-mounted V12 engine and cutting-edge suspension and chassis technology so that it can offer a cosseting as well as sporty ride and handling characteristics.
"I've long harboured the desire to design a road car," said Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer. "I've always been adamant that the AM-RB 001 should be a true road car that's also capable of extreme performance on track, and this means it really has to be a car of two characters. That's the secret we're trying to put into this car - the technology that allows it to be docile and comfortable, but with immense outright capabilities."
Neither company is yet to reveal the car's performance data but are claiming that the AM-RB 001 has the capability of delivering the holy grail of performance - a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, i.e., 1bhp per kilo. This feat has only thus far been achieved by boutique supercar builder Koenigsegg and its One:1 a car christened the first Megacar as it generates a megawatt of power.
"The AM-RB 001 is a truly remarkable project and something of which I'm extremely proud," said Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and CEO. "As the project gathers pace it's clear the end result will be a truly history-making hypercar that sets incredible new benchmarks for packaging, efficiency and performance and an achievement that elevates Aston Martin to the very highest level."
The AM-RB 001 will be limited to 25 track-only examples and between 99 and 150 road cars (including test mules and prototypes). The first lucky clients should get their hands on one in early 2018.
