ASTON MARTIN AND RED BULL UNVEIL THE AM-RB 001 HYPERCAR
Aston Martin has revealed the AM-RB 001 hypercar it is producing in partnership with legendary Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey and Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
The AM-RB 001 is the result of a collaboration between Newey and Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s chief creative officer. The duo has worked together to create a functional and comfortable road car that performs “like no road car before it on a race track”, according to Aston Martin’s official statement.
A total volume of between 99 and 150 AM-RB 001s will be produced at Aston Martin’s factory in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and 25 track-only versions of the car will be built, but that machine is still currently being developed. Aston Martin’s statement states that the track version of the AM-RB 001 will have a “projected performance of which is in line with that of today’s LMP1 Le Mans sports prototypes.”
When this collaboration was first announced shortly before the start of the 2016 F1 season, Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Andy Palmer wrote on Twitter that the new car would be “faster than an F1 around Silverstone.”
While that still remains to be seen, the AM_RB 001 unveiled today has what Aston Martin describes as “truly radical aerodynamics for unprecedented levels of downforce in a road-legal car.”
It is understood that Newey’s input on the aero front means much of that downforce is generated via the car’s underfloor aerodynamics, while Reichman has created a body that has “the unmistakable essence of Aston Martin”, around a lightweight carbon fibre structure.
The AM-RB 001’s full technical specification will be revealed in due course but the car is power by a “mid-mounted, high-revving, naturally aspirated V12 engine with the potency to achieve a 1:1 power-to- weight ratio; 1 bhp per kilo of weight.”
The car also features bespoke suspension and transmission systems that have been designed by Newey and Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
Speaking about the new hypercar, Newey, who is Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, said: “I’ve long harboured the desire to design a road car. The formation of Red Bull Advanced Technologies brought me a step closer to realising that ambition, but I believed we should work with an automotive manufacturer.
“Aston Martin was at the top of my list. The synergy between Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin is clear. I knew Red Bull Racing had the ability to handle the pure performance aspects, but Aston Martin’s experience of making beautiful, fast and comfortable GT cars is of great benefit to the project.
“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”.
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, added: “Red Bull Racing has always steered an innovative course in our on-going development of a competitive Formula 1 car.
“The conception and modus operandi of Red Bull Technologies has been to apply our expertise to truly progressive projects and partnerships.
“Our relationship with Aston Martin and the realisation of the AM-RB 001 is pioneering and borne of our synergies and desire to break new ground. The AM-RB 001 is the inspirational product of this collaborative spirit.”
Reichman described the balance of making the AM-RB 001 fast and yet retain Aston Martin’s usual style as a “challenge.”
He said: “Working so closely alongside Adrian and an organisation like Red Bull Racing is a fabulous experience. By definition the objectives we’ve set for the car ensures there has never been an Aston Martin – or any car, actually – quite like the AM-RB 001.
“The shared challenge has been finding that magical tipping point where we achieve the most efficient engineering solutions and the most beautiful styling solutions without any compromises.
“My personal challenge has been expressing the AM-RB 001’s extraordinary performance and the unique way in which it delivers that performance. Its style reflects its revolutionary nature, while possessing the form and beauty that makes it unmistakably an Aston Martin”.