Aston Martin is soon to reveal the new 'son of Valkyrie' hybrid hypercar, and has released the first official image of the new model.
Although a Geneva motor show debut is yet to be officially confirmed, the release of the image is indicative of an expected unveiling at the show next month.
UPDATED: Aston Martin launches new AM-RB 003 hypercar
It will be the third hypercar to emerge from the British car maker after the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. Codenamed ‘Project 003', the mid-engined model is part of a joint development project between Aston and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, and is due to be released in 2021.
Said to be built around a lightweight structure, the Project 003 will be powered by a turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid powertrain of undisclosed size and power output. Aston is claiming an “exceptional breadth of performance”, but the car has also been designed to be usable and practical for road use, with space for luggage.
The Project 003, like the Valkyrie, will feature active aerodynamics for “outstanding levels of downforce in a road-legal car”. Active suspension, likely inboard and pushrod-operated, will again be used for the new car, which is pitched as a model that could eclipse the LaFerrari and McLaren P1.
Aston Martin has confirmed it will be homologated in left- and right-hand drive form, with production limited to 500 examples globally. No price has been hinted at, but Autocar expects it to cost around £1 million. The first customer cars will be delivered towards the end of 2021.
Before road-legal production models are released, however, the 'son of Valkyrie' will race for outright victory at Le Mans in 2020, according to CEO Andy Palmer. The debut fits in with regulation changes to put road-derived and concept hybrid cars in the top category, meaning the new car could race against models such as the McLaren Senna.
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AMG 53 drivetrain? NO! That
AMG 53 drivetrain? NO! That would just continue the very sad dilution of Aston Martin and accelerate its being reduced to a company that no longer makes its own engines. Yes, that's expensive, but Aston IMO cannot compete with Ferrari if it buys engines from someone else. I bought a previous generation Vantage new, and love it. I have ZERO interest in the new car because it doesn't have an Aston engine (nor am I a fan of its looks, but that's another matter). How good that engine is matters not at all -- an off-the-shelf someone-else's engine is an absolute deal-breaker. The engine is the beating heart of the car, and an Aston can't have an AMG heart. Would a Ferrari with a Benz engine be a Ferrari? Clearly not.
I'm not a fan of the mid-engine 488 competitor either. To me, Astons are front-engined. That's one of the things that makes them what they are. Nothing against mid-engines cars -- they're great -- but we have Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, etc. for that. Extreme stuff like the Valkyrie (or Bulldog) is a different matter -- they have their own specific purpose and can be anything.
Surprise, I'm not a fan of the DBX either. This is the perfect opportunity to relaunch Lagonda -- enter the potentially lucrative SUV market, relaunch the marque and leave Aston unsullied by making an SUV. A crying shame of a missed opportunity on many levels.
This whole make Aston a "global luxury brand" thing is worrisome, and sounds to me like the antithesis of what made Aston Martin special and endearing. I'm not suggesting they go back to making 45 cars a year by hand. No growth can kill a company, but too much growth -- or attempts at that -- can be just as lethal.
Engines
Not sure making their own powertrains is viable for a company of Aston’s size long term, even Rolls-Royce uses BMW engines these days and nobody minds. The Bugatti is two VW W8’s and a load of turbos! Making your own engine in a company Aston’s size is a huge undertaking fraught with risk - see TVR for details - even McLaren outsource engine development and production to Ricardo.
The AMG V8 in the Vantage and DB11 has been very well reviewed and is likely to prove reliable which is critical for residuals, and a straight six has loads of historical resonance for AM, all the way from the early days through to DB7 which was in itself a modified Jaguar engine, the same as the modified Jag AJ-V8 in your car is - and apparently you didn’t even notice!
Agree Lagonda should do the SUVs and saloons, leaving the sports cars to Aston though.
You can foretell the economy...
...by the number of hypercars being announced each week - usually means a recession is just round the corner. How much smarter would it be to skate to where the puck is going and drop the hybrid straight 6 (AMG 53) drivetrain into the Vantage to reclaim the market they used to have with the previous (£85k/400bhp) model. It was very much the best option at that price point for anyone who didn’t want a default 911. Seems nuts to cede that market to Porsche entirely.
Le Mans Entry
This won’t actually compete at Le Mans 2020, with the change of the WEC season meaning the seasons will from now on end with Le Mans (hence the current “super season”) that means this will compete in the WEC season of 2020/2021, but with the actual Le Mans race being 2021.
the 2020 running of Le Mans will stil be based around the LMP1 regulations.
That’s as I understand it in anycase.