This is the Aston Martin AM-RB 001 and it is fastest, most advanced Aston yet and the first road car to be created by Adrian Newey. Thanks to the team from Autocar, this is the information you need to know;
- Total of “between 99 and 150” road cars will be built
- 25 Track cars
- Capable of lapping Silverstone at same pace as an F1 car
- Front and rear diffusers provide downforce and channel air for ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics.
- Final production car is likely to be about 1900mm wide and less than a metre tall.
- Reclined, feet-up driving position based on an F1 car’s.
- Absence of door mirrors, will use rear-facing cameras
- Gullwing doors to make entry as easy as possible (steering wheel comes off to aid it)
- A “high-revving, high-capacity” V12 provides the power.
- The mid-mounted, naturally aspirated unit is bespok
- Aston is tight-lipped on precise power output, saying only that it’s aiming for a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio.
- Carbonfibre structure is expected to help keep the car’s weight below one tonne, which implies an output in the region of 900bhp.
- F1-inspired energy recovery system (ERS) to harvest kinetic energy from braking.
- Car has no reverse gear, so reversing could be done via power harvested by the ERS.
- Slight visual differences between the road and track cars, with the track version having wider front wings, bigger tyres and a bigger rear aerofoil.
The car is Due in 2018 The car’s price is put at “£2-3 million” and those invited to buy one will be expected to lay down a deposit of £500k. Aston enthusiasts who have previously bought a limited-edition car such as a Vulcan or One-77 will get a guaranteed place on the waiting list. Half a dozen people are keen to buy both road and track variants.
“Deciding who will be considered for a car is a relatively new headache for us,” said Palmer. “With Vantage GT12 and GT8, Vanquish Zagato and this, I don’t think Aston has ever been in a situation where it has to invite customers to buy. It is a nice problem and it bodes well for DB11, which is also significantly oversubscribed.”
