Aston Martin's Hypercar Showcased To Potential Buyers

Aston Martin and Red Bull have been working together to build a hypercar. On the lines of the holy trinity - the Ferrari Laferrari, the Porsche 918 and the Mclaren P1, Aston Martin’s codenamed the AM-RB 001 will be a petrol-electric hybrid and will only be limited to 99 units. A lifesize model of the hypercar was showcased to prospective buyers at an event during the Monaco Grand Prix. The model was mostly plastic and clay and was 70-80 per cent final in terms of the design. It is due for a launch in the summer of 2018.

Speaking about the car, Andy Palmer CEO of Aston Martinis reported to have said, “We have a full-sized model of the surfaces as they stand, which is going through regulatory validation, so we’re checking things such as seat position, eye position and visibility”. He further stated that the car will only be sold in select markets as it difficult to test such a limited model for different countries.  

Elaborating on the car's design, Aston Martin Design Chief Marek Reichman described it as  incredibly pure and incredibly simple. He added, “It’s uncompromised in terms of (Red Bull Racing technical chief) Adrian Newey’s capability, because he doesn’t have the FIA or Formula 1 telling him he can’t do this, and it’s uncompromised from my perspective because it’s the lowest car that’s going to exist.”

As for the mechanical details of the car, what we know so far is that it will be a mid-engined petrol-electric hybrid. The hybrid tech will be a simpler version of the performance-boosting systems of World Endurance Championship and F1 cars. When asked about the mechanics of the car, Reichman said, “Clearly it’s going to need some form of hybridisation, but weight and efficiency are paramount. So you can’t go too heavy on hybridisation because then you’re carrying a bigger battery.”

The hypercar will be slightly heavier than the LMP1 race car, which weighs 900kg and has a power output of about 1010PS.  Prices of the car can fall in the £2-£3 million (Rs 30 crore) bracket, but Aston Martin will not make it public. “We won’t announce a price because in this kind of market you talk to the client independently,” Palmer said. “It’s the old adage: if you need to ask, you can’t afford.”

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Source: Autocar