Aston Martin gets hyper
Continuing its march into the manufacture of mid-engined hypercars, Aston Martin unveiled not one, but two further models at the Geneva Motor Show last week. Aston started by confirming that the AM-RB 003 will benefit from the close involvement of Red Bull Advanced Technologies in its design and engineering, continuing one of the brightest and most exciting engineering partnerships in the industry right now.
As its codename suggests, the AM-RB 003 follows the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro as the third hypercar in Aston Martin’s mid-engined story. Both evolutionary and revolutionary, AM-RB 003 will incorporate concepts and technologies taken directly from Formula 1 and applied to the epoch-making Aston Martin Valkyrie, providing it with performance to meet and surpass the performance demands of existing top-end hypercar rivals.
Though making greater concessions to practicality and road use, AM-RB 003 will remain true to that uncompromising engineering ethos, extending the trickle down of genuine state-of-the-art Formula 1 technology into a car built in larger numbers, but still strictly limited to 500 examples worldwide.
Sharing the same fundamental styling and aerodynamic philosophy with Aston Martin Valkyrie, the AM-RB 003 features a pronounced front keel and large rear diffuser, with the underfloor generating the bulk of the downforce. However, AM-RB 003 will also benefit from next-generation aircraft morphing technology, to create a variable airfoil across the entirety of the rear wing. The technology named FlexFoil, has been validated by NASA through extensive performance and acoustic flight testing, with Aston Martin the first to implement this cutting-edge aerospace technology in the automotive industry.
The system allows for the car’s downforce to be changed without changing the physical angle of the entire element, resulting in a seamless design with high performance, improved efficiency and reduced wind noise. Turbulence and the associated drag increase found in current ‘state-of-the-art’ active wing designs is virtually eliminated too.
Also taking centre stage alongside the AM-RB 003 was the marque’s fourth mid-engined supercar, the Vanquish Vision Concept. This concept acts as a tantalising preview of Aston Martin’s new design language of the marque’s most ambitious models. Reviving an iconic nameplate traditionally reserved for Aston Martin’s flagship production model, the advanced design study provides further evidence of the proudly British brand’s intent to compete in one of the most hotly contested market sectors in the automotive world, one traditionally defined by Italian supercar makers.
Like AM-RB 003, the Vanquish Vision Concept benefits from further crystallisation of the philosophy pioneered in the Aston Martin Valkyrie and distilled into AM-RB 003, with the pursuit of weight, packaging and aerodynamic efficiency informing every aspect of the design and engineering.
Detailed technical information will be revealed as the development programme advances, but two items of high level information were disclosed; the first being confirmation the production version of Vanquish Vision Concept will feature a version of Aston Martin’s new V6: the engine that will make its debut in AM-RB 003 in hybrid turbo form. Secondly, in a departure from the Aston Martin Valkyrie and AM-RB 003’s all-carbon fibre construction, the Vanquish Vision Concept features a bespoke bonded aluminium chassis.